This World
by dotJKLO
Summary: Growing up had never been easy for Naruto. All he wanted, all his life, was for everyone to see him like he was family. He wanted to prove to them he wasn't useless. He just wanted to be a Huntsman they would be proud of. Maybe...maybe it was time he did something about it. Narutox? (Pairings will be revealed)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Born from Dust

* * *

There was a sound of pitter-patter all around him. It was so soft, but the beats resounded unceasingly and got louder in his mind. Then he felt it hit his skin. What was this? Rain? Yes, it was raining. When did it start raining? He couldn't, for the life of him, remember when it began.

He could feel the water hit soundlessly onto his body and feel it slide down his face. He could feel his clothes get heavier with every second that passed, the rain soaking into the fabric. He could feel the cold night air walk by. Silently. It hit him so gently that it felt more like a whisper into his ear - like it was an apology said by the most sincere of voices. It was soothing.

He could feel all these things, but nothing else. Even his own breath felt like it was not there. He didn't feel the rise or fall of his chest.

What was this phantom feeling in his right arm? It was like static. _Oh_ , he didn't have an arm again. Wait, again? Weird.

In the distance, so far away from him, he could hear running. Was it running? He didn't know. He assumed it was if the slosh of mud and water was any indication. There was a brief pause as something - someone he came to realize - stopped next to him. The person dropped to his level, onto their knees, with a wet thud onto the fresh mud. He looked up and saw blue. Was it blue? It was dark, almost purple, and swayed down onto his face. He could feel the rain along with the indigo locks caressing his cheeks.

Oh. It wasn't just rain. It was tears. The person next to him was crying. Tears that fell from her pale, lavender eyes. _It's okay, please don't cry._

"You idiot." The person's voice was soft and angelic. It was a woman, he figured. There was something in her voice he couldn't identify. "You just had to be the hero, didn't you?"

The woman laughed softly, but he heard her whimper. He felt a shift as his head was lifted slowly and gently laid down upon her lap. His breathing hitched at the familiar feeling, but why?

"Saving the village wasn't enough for you," she spoke again, "You had to go and use the Kishō Tensei. You just had to be the reckless, compassionate idiot you are!"

She laughed a little louder. It was filled with sorrow but it was so heavenly. He just had to say something. He didn't know what was going on, but he opened his mouth and spoke to her. He was sure words came out, but he couldn't hear himself, he didn't know what he said.

"Of course I'm happy you fool. You saved everyone - you gave your life for Boruto and Himawari-"

Boruto? Himawari? Who was that?

"They're going to see tomorrow because you gave them this…a second chance...They're going to live to follow their dreams and play with little Konami-chan." He hadn't thought it was possible, but she cried harder. "But their tomorrow is not going to have you."

She stroked his hair as she whispered to him. He could vaguely notice that other people had joined them. They surrounded him - did they know him too? Who were they all? He didn't know who this pretty woman was, but she was nice to him. He liked her voice. But...it felt so far away from him...

"Konami-chan turns two on Saturday. But her papa is not going to be there." She kissed his forehead, sending warmth through his body. He didn't realize he was so cold. His breathing slowed.

"Those three need you. _I_ need _you_." Your voice is getting further, wait, please! "I love you, my -"

 _Don't go!_

* * *

"OW! Oum damn it…"

Pulling his face from the floor, Naruto rubbed his red nose and turned to look at the bed beside him. He had fallen off…again. Ugh, it would not be good for him if he had to use a bunk bed.

"Itai…" He grumbled….whatever that word meant. As he got up he realized his breathing was heavy. For a second he almost thought he stopped all together.

What was that dream about? Wait, was he dreaming? He didn't remember. _Ugh_ , he thought, _this was too frustrating!_

He moved his head, glancing across the room as he tried to slow his pacing heart. It was a nice room, he noted, the maids had probably cleaned it yesterday and he hadn't noticed. He turned his head towards the table and saw a clock. It read 6 am. Huh, that's new. He never really was a morning person.

Slowly, he removed the covers, getting off his bed and onto his feet. Grumbling to himself, he made his way to his personal bathroom. Living in luxury did sometimes have its kicks. Flipping the light on, he made his way towards the sink. He furrowed his brow as he realized he still wasn't that tall - his head _only_ just came over the counter top! Life wasn't fair, why couldn't he be taller!

He knew he was only ten but it felt like he had problems with his height for multiple decades.

Sighing, Naruto pulled up a stool and proceeded to wash his face.

He looked up into the mirror. The reflection of a cerulean blue-eyed youth fronted him back. His complexion was pale but his skin was fair. His head was rounded and pudgy, common for someone his age, but the three whisker-like marks that adorned each of his cheeks was his most notable feature.

They were scars, his mother told him, that hadn't healed properly since he was a baby.

As Naruto rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes, his attention drifted to his hair. It was styled medium length, but spiked outwards in harmonious chaos. It was very different from his family's smooth, downwards hair. As he inspected his reflection, he idly wondered why having white hair felt off to him.

* * *

Standing in the kitchen - err, rather on a chair in the kitchen - Naruto made his breakfast. The stove was at an appropriate heat for him to handle and all his ingredients were laid out upon the counter top for his convenience. Despite the incessant pleas from the maids and chefs (that they would make his food for him) Naruto persisted with his culinary creations. He would give them a smile and say how he enjoyed their dutifulness but he would prefer to have his own fun. In reluctance, they would let him do as he pleased and help him reach for ingredients his young body would not allow him to.

In all honesty, the servants enjoyed Naruto's cooking. The boy was a hard worker and loved to have fun. Surely, as well, it was the one hobby he was not forced to have: thus he enjoyed it. They gave him these moments of freedom and tried to hide it as well as possible from his father's eyes.

They couldn't lie either: the young master was just too damn persuasive!

"Cooking again, Naruto?" Said boy turned around to see a tall white haired man in a denim business suit. The man's face was angular, matured, but held the same white hair, skin tone and blue eyes (albeit a pale blue) that Naruto had. His pale hair was slicked back and stubble was apparent on his lower face. In all, he was a very handsome man for one who was only twenty-five.

"You want any, Noel?" Naruto asked, showing him his skillet filled with a fresh pancake. He and Noel were not particularly close, but unlike his other siblings, Noel respected Naruto enough to not push his buttons nor force him to do such things as endlessly study. Naruto figured because Noel had gone through that as a child, he would support his siblings' choices.

"I appreciate it," The elder brother stated, "but I'm late for a flight. I'll see you this weekend, tell mother I said bye."

"Mkay, bro."

The young white-haired cook pondered his brother as he watched him leave the kitchen. He didn't quite know where his brother was headed, but he necessarily didn't care. There was obviously no bad blood between anyone in the family, but he felt as if - when it concerned him - that tensions were high.

There was, undoubtedly, their father who pushed all of them every day. He believed in perfection, he believed in order. He unsurprisingly did not take Naruto's goofing off with a grain of salt. In his early years, he quickly cut his joker attitude and forbid him from committing any of his abominable _pranks_. From the moment he could remember, his father placed him on curfew and gave him tutors that took up every moment of his day.

From scholarly topics - such as mathematics, to history and to philosophy - to classes upon classes of high-class etiquette and ballroom dancing, these tutors expected him to know everything. Despite his age, he was taught subjects most teens graduating Beacon wouldn't know. If it weren't for his odd (almost inhuman, actually) ability to learn things quickly, his brain would have fried. The problem was his brain had to concentrate on a myriad of things, it couldn't just be a singular topic. He couldn't focus on one thing too clearly, but give him multiple subjects to juggle or bombard him with a variety of information, he could handle it.

But the fact was: it was all SO BORING.

That's why he enjoyed cooking so much. He could do multiple tasks at once to his delight. Even better, he wasn't forced to learn it! In fact, many times he would be told to cease the activity from his father. The man believed that since there are servant around, one of his children should not lower themselves to do such menial tasks. In frustration and rebellion, Naruto would always try to sneak in his cooking time when no one was around.

As well as banning him from cooking, his father wouldn't allow him to begin his training to become a Huntsman. He believed that he was too young - too immature - to handle the responsibility and toll. Naruto disagreed.

He found it a little unfair too. All of his older siblings had started their training around this age before they entered a junior academy. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, his dad wouldn't allow him such privilege.

He had to admit, his dad was a dick.

Wait, he's ten. Where did that come from?

Naruto would be the first to say that he was the black sheep of the family. His father was a hard ass who believed in business and perfection. He rarely had time for his children and usually sought the best tutors and instructors for them as a way to make up for his lack of involvement in his children's lives. The whiskered cook felt as if this attitude was especially thrown onto him. The patriarch of the family didn't believe Naruto had many outstanding qualities or talents, but pushed him anyways.

In contrast, Noel was the only one who didn't push him. However, because Noel worked underneath their father for the company, he rarely had time to ever be around his siblings.

The boy felt as if Noel wasn't the only one who didn't have time for him either. His two older sisters, Bianka and Clara, weren't always around either. Bianka, who was younger than Noel by three years, was more like their father than Naruto would have liked. She was stuck up, believing herself to be better than most. Not only was she rich, she was tall, talented and beautiful. She had long white hair, just like their mother's, that cascaded down her figure nicely. Their signature skin and eye colors did not hold her beauty back.

She was, much like Noel was, a "perfect" child. Responsible, strong and independent: qualities she would always remind Naruto she had so he could emulate her. She wanted Naruto to adore her. He loved his sister, truly he did, but he couldn't give her what she wanted. No way in hell!

Then there was Clara, who was again three years younger than the elder sibling. She, much like Bianka, was the epitome of a child, possessing talent and beauty in throws. Unlike her elder, she opted for a short hair style (more of a bob cut) and didn't give off the attitude of an heiress. To Naruto's relief, she was more laid back; however, unlike the second child, she outright ignored Naruto, not even giving him the time of day. He could only assume what her deal was. In all ten years of his life, he had yet to figure her out.

It still stuck with him that they were all accomplished Hunters (or in Clara's case, Hunters in training) - all accomplished adults - and they acted as if he was insignificant in their lives. He was supposed to be family!

One of the only members of his family who even gave a damn about him was his mother. It saddened him to know that the beautiful woman couldn't spend much time with him because of her duties to her husband, the company, and taking care of the infant girl of the family, Neve.

He knew as well that all of their names related to the cold, snow or the color of white one way or another. This made him feel even more of an outcast. Really, he was named after a ramen topping! What kind of name was _Naruto_?!

Not that he minded. He loved his ramen. Thank you Oum for the blessed dish of the gods!

Wait, where was he? Oh yeah, complaining! And another thing -

"You're going to burn your pancakes."

Oh right, he was still cooking.

Flipping another pancake onto a plate and refilling the pan, Naruto turned towards the source of the voice. It was a girl five years older than him. Just like his other siblings, she shared the same features. Her hair was cut just above her shoulders and her bangs fell to the side to cover her right eye. She wore a white blouse and pale blue shorts that did nothing to hide her figure. Despite being fifteen, it was evident that the girl would grow into a voluptuous woman if her budding frame had anything to say about it.

But what did he care? He is ten. Carry on.

"What do you want, Winter?" Naruto scowled at his sister. Their relationship wasn't terrible but it wasn't perfect either. She was the prodigy child of the Schnee. Winter doted over him and nagged him about his studies. He felt as if she always took every chance she got to remind him he was better than her. She, just like Bianka, Clara and even Noel, was picture perfect and had no qualms about showing it off like the eldest Schnee daughter. She constantly poked fun at him in her monotone and flaunted all her advantaged she had over him, especially considering she was five years his senior. He had no idea why, but she felt like she was a female version of someone who pissed him off.

In essence, she was a bastard!

"Give me a pancake, runt."

Scratch that, she was a Teme!

...Whatever that meant...

"Ugh fine." Naruto pouted and loaded her plate with two blueberry flapjacks. "Are the others awake?"

"Mother is still asleep - as well as Bianka and Neve. You already know Clara is out in Vale with father on a business trip." She took the plate from him and sat down at the nearby table. "I woke up the little princess on my way here." She took a bite out of her pancake. If she enjoyed it, she gave no signs that praised his cooking. "Did Noel leave already?"

"Yeah," Naruto stated, turning off the stove and cleaning his tools, "about ten minutes ago. He told me to say hi to mom."

"Hn, well don't forget. You know how mother gets."

"What?! I have an excellent memory!"

"Is that why you're wearing your shirt on backwards?"

…Shit.

"S-shut up."

"Oh? Did my little brother stutter?"

"No! I did no such thing!"

"If only he spoke as he cooked: consistently."

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms. His ears were red from embarrassment. He wished he had better quips, but for now his child like mind couldn't come up with any remarks that would even fluster the girl. Thankfully, he was saved when someone his age come through the door.

She looked much like Winter, however her hair was tied into a messy ponytail on the side of her head. She wore pajamas that dragged along the floor and held the arm of a stuffed bear in her right hand. As she walked, the bear too dragged across the kitchen tiles as her other hand tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. The bleary look in them made Naruto chuckle as Winter observed the young Schnee with an unnoticeable smirk on her pretty face.

"Do you want some breakfast, Princess?" Said Naruto, as he placed a plate of pancakes in front of her.

The girl looked down at the plate in front of her and blushed. "F-Father said we shouldn't eat such simple foods." Despite her tiredness, the little heiress still had it in her to act prim and proper. However, Naruto still knew her weaknesses.

"But Princess, they're blueberry! I know it's not as good as blueberry frozen yogurt, but I know blueberries are your favorite!" He said slyly. He enjoyed her restlessness as she sat on her hands to prevent herself from reaching the fork. "Winter's eating them too. Besides, dad's on a trip to Vale with Clara, doing some boring CEO stuff. He won't find out." The whiskered boy winked at his younger sister.

"W-well since you made it I guess I can't let it go to waste..." The younger girl's cheeks twinged pink as she dug into her food. Naruto honestly spoiled her sometimes.

Weiss Schnee, or as he would like to call her, Princess, was his younger twin. Just like him, Weiss had a problem with feeling lonely and ignored, as well as pressured by their father. Though unlike him, Weiss was very self-conscious about making mistakes. She liked being a know-it-all, in hopes to impress their family, but the energy deriving from that personality trait didn't match the low amount of self-confidence she had within herself.

When their father found out about Weiss' extraordinary singing ability, he immediately took to nurturing that talent. He hired the best coaches and the best equipment so she could be a celebrity. Naruto had to admit, it was working, for his twin really was beginning to shine like a child star. But with all these aspects of her life being controlled, Naruto took it upon himself to try and spoil the girl. He tried to show her that she could believe in herself and make her own choices. He tried to make sure that she never felt lonely and that being compassionate and making mistakes was okay. Weiss was the only thing really keeping him tied to the family.

Despite her being such a goody-two-shoes brat.

"Oh is it good?"

"It's a-acceptable," she replied to Winter.

And in the words of Winter, she was a hardcore tsundere.

…Seriously, what language was that!?

"Now, now, sis, don't pick on Princess."

"Hmm, nope. I find it fun."

"This is why _I'm_ Weiss' favorite!" Naruto state while glaring at his sister. He turned to his twin while beaming her a face-splitting smile. He placed a hand on her head and stroked her hair while saying, "Isn't that right, Princess?"

Weiss' face exploded in red as she stared at her brother. Let it be known that Weiss Schnee was not a bro-con. She was in no way obsessed with her caring twin!

As the singer spluttered and fumbled her words, Naruto took that as a sign to dote over her even more. He grabbed the girl in a tight embrace and rubbed his cheek against hers. Steam poured out of her ears and her faced burned with embarrassment.

NOT A BRO-CON!

"Common, say it Weiss!"

"Don't Weiss. A Schnee should not lower themselves to the degenerate standards of this moron."

"I'm a Schnee too, Winter!"

"That's debatable, short-stack."

"No more food for you then! You're getting fat anyways."

"You insufferable little snot!"

"Stuck up brat!"

"Whisker faced idiot!"

"Chubby, mean-faced fatass!"

" _Good one_ , you dead brained mouse."

"At least I'm not a closet otaku!"

There was a gasp at the table as the world froze over. Winter's hand covered her mouth in shock. She reeled back with wide eyes at her brother's insult. Her face was an even more brilliant shade of red than Weiss'. Getting up abruptly, she slammed on hand on the table and pointed at the younger white haired youth.

"You take that back," she demanded, "or you'll regret it!"

"Make me, air-head!"

"This is why father doesn't let you train yet, you annoying child!"

"I'll get you for that, Winter!"

"Is that a threat?"

"No! It's a promise! And I NEVER go back on my promises!"

Jumping to his feet Naruto ran around the table in an attempt to dodge Winter's clutches.

As they ran around the table, Weiss couldn't help the smile that found its way to her face. She had to admit, her family was weird. Very weird. But Naruto always seemed to know how to lighten up her day. She ate her pancakes in contentment as she watched her older sister tackle her twin to the ground. Despite the rough noogie she gave Naruto, Winter smiled: she couldn't stay mad at her little mouse. Naruto was laughing, too, as he rolled on the floor alongside her.

It just so happened that his laughter was contagious. Eventually, all three siblings filled the room with their delight.

Unbeknownst to them, their mother stood in the doorway as she watched her darlings enjoy their morning breakfast. She smiled warmly at the sight. As she turned her eyes to Naruto, she couldn't help but keep her gaze lingering on him.

Naruto was the most different of all her children, and admittedly, the least favored by her husband. Yet, with all her heart, she only wished that he would be happy and return that genuine smile that she would see when he was but a child.

She didn't even notice the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

* * *

When Naruto awoke in the middle of the night, it wasn't sudden and pain-filled like it was in the morning. He took a moment to remember where he was – _who_ he was. Slowly, he opened his eyes and sat up in bed, resting his weight on his elbows behind him.

His eyes flickered with an emotion foreign to him. _T-that_ , he thought, _that felt too real._

" _Uzumaki_ ," he said. It rolled off his tongue. It felt natural, but it was a word so far from him he couldn't place where it belonged.

Shaking himself out of his funk, he got up from his bed and headed to the kitchen intent on getting a drink of water. As he walked through the halls of the Schnee mansion, he made no sound. Not wanting to wake up his siblings he quickly made his way downstairs and to the kitchen to get his drink.

As he gulped down his refreshment, he placed the glass into the sink and made his way back towards the stairs. He never noticed before that, if he wanted to, he could be really stealthy. Making no noise while stepping on a hard wood flooring was quite difficult. He guessed he was just light-footed.

Silently, he made his way across the lobby and when he heard something. Was that talking? Who would be awake at this time of night?

With curiosity taking the better of him, he followed the mumbling until he came across a set of doors with green light filtering beneath the gap between the wood and the floor. It was the conference room. Who was using it?

As if he were a ghost, Naruto glided across the floor and towards the fancy entrance. He placed his hand onto the handle and, with minimum force, pulled it down. He pulled the door towards himself, enough to see through it with an eye and hear whoever was inside.

Listening closely, the words of the person talking became clearer. He realized it was a conversation. He immediately identified that the person in the room was his mother and that she was having a conversation with his father on a large screen. All he could see in this interaction was his mother's back as she blocked her husband's face on the video feed.

He guessed their discussion must be important for them both to be up and talking at this hour. His curiosity sated, he attempted to silently close the door.

"What do you mean he's not allowed to train?" He heard. He was momentarily surprised, he never heard such venom in his mom's voice before.

"Dear, you must see it my-"

"I don't care for your way! His birthday is in weeks: he and Weiss will both be eleven. You've delayed this for far too long and now you mean to tell me that he would not even be allowed to begin his training?"

W-what did she mean by that? His dad couldn't possibly…

"You must understand! He does not hold the potential to be the type of Huntsman his siblings are. Yes, both he and Weiss have not unlocked their Aura, but clearly you should be able to see by now that Weiss is more suited for the life of a Huntress."

"I don't agree with your observations. He's but a young boy: how do you not believe he could be ready? All his life all he wanted to do was be a Huntsman and you've denied him every opportunity to even begin his dreams!"

"WHAT DOES HE HAVE THEN?" Naruto flinched at his father's raised tone. "Unlike his siblings, I feel no power deriving from him. He holds no qualities that say otherwise! He is a child without the mind nor courage the other children possess. He does not even have any meaningful talents."

"Yes, he does! He-"

"He what? He can cook? It is mediocre by far, even by the standards of one his age. What else? He can play jovial, idiotic pranks? Face it woman, he is not ready for the life of a Huntsman: he is too immature, too weak, too yield-"

"Don't you dare!" She cried as she interrupted him. "Don't you dare say he isn't determined! The one thing you cannot deny is Naruto is, above all else, too strong willed to back down. Even if you deny him his opportunity, his resolve is stronger than yours."

The married pair stared into each other's eyes through the feed of the video. It felt like an eternity that they stared at each other, calculating the other's statements. Naruto hadn't even realized he had been holding his breath.

"When that child," his father began, "falls in the battlefield, his death will not be on my hands."

"It would be that way," the woman replied, "if you do not take his training into consideration."

There was a pause as the Schnee patriarch studied his wife. The man contemplated for a moment before his temper took the better of him as he gambled with his next statement.

"It is not my fault he does not possess the genes to be a professional."

"Do not start this, husband! He is still your son!"

"And _you_ should not delude yourself," the edge in his voice was sharp as he spoke.

"…"

They stood in silence until he sighed.

"I know you love him like he is truly family-"

What? W-what!? What did that mean?

"-but he is not even of our blood."

Naruto clamped a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from gasping out loud. His eyes were wide and he could already feel the tears build in them. His vision blurred and the world sounded lifelessly dull around him. His body numbed as he saw his mother start to cry.

"All you do," she sobbed, "is ignore him. He is not like the other children – I know –but he's lived so long without our love that seeing him walk around like a normal boy is _not okay_! He must be broken but he's hiding it because of-"

"My decision is final!"

His words reverberated through the room and echoed off the walls. The outburst was so sudden and so sharp that she gaped at him in shock. The CEO's breathing was rushed, but he calmed himself. After a long pause he spoke to her again.

"He is not a Schnee. We cannot rely that he will grow to be strong when we do not even know his origins. For all we know, he may neither possess an Aura or a Semblance.

"I will not deny him the opportunity to join a junior academy when he is of age, but for now he will not join Weiss' sessions to begin her career. He will not jeopardize her future. I will have Winter and Bianka tutor her as well. I will see to it that Weiss' training schedule is balanced with her vocal coach and recitals. Goodnight."

Before his father could even close the video call, he had already turned around and fled the room. He didn't know where he was going but eventually he came to stop at another set of double doors. He opened them and softly closed them behind him. His collapsed onto the nearest door and slide down the wood in his weakness. His back planted itself flat on the wood as he tilted his head down into his hands.

He lifted his head and saw the tears that gathered into his palms.

He was…he was adopted? This entire time…he was adopted? Why didn't they tell him?

Noel…Bianka…Clara…Neve…

Winter…

They…weren't his real siblings.

 _Good Oum._

Weiss wasn't even his twin.

Did his father even love him? Had he ever? How could he possibly when his fifth child wasn't really a Schnee.

The young heir rocked back and worth as he sobbed into his hands.

 _Wasn't he good enough?_

* * *

It was four hours later when Naruto regained his senses. He vaguely realized that he had collapsed in the family study, but he also didn't care. Glancing at the clock on the wall - a quarter 'til six – he realized he would have to face his…family? Was that the right word?

His brain hurt too much to care at the moment. His headache was killing him.

He looked down and studied his hands. They were cold and unfeeling. He could see the wet marks of almost dried up tears.

"Had I been crying this whole time?" He pondered aloud.

 _What am I going to do?_

Easily Naruto could confront his mother, but he felt that would be unfair to her. She may have not spent too much time with him now-a-days, but she still treated him like her son.

He couldn't really confront his…father either. He wasn't scheduled to come back in four days.

Noel and Clara were not home. Bianka nor Winter wouldn't give him the advice he wanted to hear. Neve was three and Weiss…No, he couldn't do that to her.

He wondered if there was anyone he could talk to about this. No. There was no one. The Schnee children were often sheltered and the only interactions they had were with employees of the family or other high-society individuals and their children.

Needless to say, Naruto did not get along with those children.

Nor did they get along with his fist to their face when they dissed his ramen.

It was difficult for the white-haired boy to figure out what to do next. His life had been thrown into a loop and a wrench had ruined the gears that allowed it to function.

Did he hate his father? He wasn't sure. He wasn't so much as mad that he was adopted, but he was angrier that the old Schnee saw it as an excuse as to why Naruto wasn't good enough in his eyes.

Naruto got up from his spot and proceeded to the kitchen. He'd wash up there, make it look like he hadn't just spent the last four hours crying his eyes out.

Drying his face and hands with a hand towel, Naruto approached the stove and stared at it. He hadn't ate for hours but he wasn't hungry. There was a void within him that food could not fix. He was tempted to turn around and walk away. He wanted to go back to his room and sleep the day away.

But he couldn't. Not when Weiss and Winter would wake up soon, wondering why he had not already cooked. They always woke up earlier than everyone else so that they could catch Naruto cooking and tell him to make them something. Unlike the others, they were the only two who supported his hobby, let alone actually try his creations.

His face scrunched up in confusing. With a final push to his resolve, he got to cooking.

It didn't take him long, he needed to go to his bed and think about what happened the night before. He placed their breakfast onto portable trays and held one in each hand. He planned to walk into their rooms and placed one nearby, vacating as quickly as possible to not wake them up.

After finishing his delivery to Weiss' room, he approached Winter's with the food in hand. Opening the door, Naruto noiselessly snuck into her room and placed her breakfast on the nightstand beside her.

He stood there for a moment. Gazing at her sleeping face, Naruto felt a pang in his chest. Sure, she wasn't always nice to him - actually, sometimes she was downright mean – but he still cared for her.

He saw sleep without a care in the world. Even fast asleep her hair was tidy and flowed behind her head. No strand was out of place as it was all neatly splayed on her pillow. Their personalities were so different, but they looked so alike. Yet…she wasn't his real sister.

 _Does she know?_

If she did, she never showed it. She treated him like an annoyance, but he couldn't deny that he loved when she was around. Even when she treated him like dirt he knew she didn't really mean it. He didn't want Winter to not be a part of his life…but he knew there were choices he'd have to make soon…

"I love you – even if you're not my real sister."

He stepped out of her room and closed the door with an almost inaudible _click_. His eyes lingered on her door briefly before he made his way back to his room. The moment he laid his head down onto his bed, he felt heavy.

He had an idea what he was going to now…but he would sleep on it.

 _Yawn_

Sleep did sound good to him.

This time, he didn't dream.

* * *

Weiss was humming to herself as she practiced her next piece for her upcoming recital. Unlike before, she would play her own accompaniment with her song – her coach felt she was ready. She sat at a large grand piano in her family's social hall while playing the ivory keys. Practicing her chords, she sang perfectly executed runs with her drills to warm up her voice.

To her left, Naruto sat on a tall stool and had his arms crossed on top of the piano. He was lying his head with his eyes closed. His cheek was pushed up and red from him resting it on his arms.

Weiss smiled. She liked this moments. No one to tell her to do anything or bug and annoy her. Just her and her twin.

Her eyes softened as she looked at the sleeping boy. He probably tired himself out from studying all day. Today's lessoned consisted of government structure and simple politics. He also woke up early to prepare her and Winter breakfast so it was no wonder he needed this nap.

While she wouldn't admit it out loud, and especially not to him, she loved his cooking and thought it was adorable that he tried to hide it from everyone. She knew Winter, as emotionless as she appeared to be, also thought Naruto's actions were adorable.

The ten-year old caught herself staring at the boy's sleeping face. His whisker marks were clearly visible from this distance and his pudgy cheeks make it even better. He looked peaceful and-

 _Cute_ ee~

Weiss snapped herself out of…whatever place she had just been in. Her face heated as she went back to practicing her piano playing. Just because he looked like a cuddly little kitten didn't mean anythingnoitdidnotbecause-

As her thoughts rambled on, the poor girl's face went cherry like a tomato. Her playing became more sporadic. The sudden change from the shooting sound woke Naruto up when he heard the misplayed keys.

"Princess are you alright?"

"Y-yeah I'm fine!"

 **NOT A BRO-CON!**

"It doesn't look like you're fine." He moved closer to her and placed a hand on her forehead. "Do you have a fever?"

"NO!" She practically screamed but she heated up more realizing how she sounded. "It's okay, Naruto, just let me practice."

"Hmm, mkay Princess."

He smiled at her as she calmed down. Taking deep breaths, she felt herself come back into control and she resumed her practice. She started singing along with the melody as her eyes scanned the music sheets in front of her.

"You're really good at this, yenno."

She blinked at his compliment. In the years they've grown up together, he had always supported her, but this time that statement felt different.

"Thanks Naruto," she said, her cheeks rosy, "but father makes me practice every day so I don't see how I wouldn't be."

"Eh, yeah but I wish I could be good as you!"

"Huh? But you are good at singing. We used to sing all the time!"

"Then dad found out about your singing talent. We haven't sang too much since then."

"I don't understand why he didn't train both of us. We're twins, of course we'd both be good at it."

She never noticed him wince as her eyes were locked onto the keys.

"Princess, you're the one who's good at all the musical stuff!" He eye smiled at her. "You'll become a famous artist and be a great Huntress too. Me? I'm not good at anything – especially music related."

"That's not true! You can sing and play the drums."

"Like dad would ever bring in a set of drums into this house."

"How about that guitar Noel bought you?"

"When the strings wore out and broke, dad wouldn't let me get a new set. I haven't practiced in months."

"B-but-"

"It's okay, Princess! We all know dad is a big jerk!"

Though it was an insult to their father, Weiss couldn't help but giggle when she saw the ridiculous smile plastered across her twins face. He then stood on his stool and tried to intimidate the old Schnee. His funny faces were too much for the poor girl as she burst out into laughter as tears came to her eyes.

Naruto smiled as he saw the effect he had on the talented heiress. He plopped back down into his chair and waited for her to calm down.

"Weiss," he said. She looked at him oddly, he never used her first name.

"Yeah?"

"You're the best little sister ever."

"I know." She tried to act tough, but she blushed at his praise. She couldn't help it when he said things like that. Something in her mind told her to grab this memory and lock it away in a safe place.

Naruto got up from his chair. "Move over, Princess." He slid into the spot next to her and started to play the lower noted accompaniment to her piece.

Hey, they were twins who spent every day together, so of course he'd pick up on how to play the piano. Weiss smiled as she begun to teach him her song. They would come up with a harmony together.

For the first time in three years, the Schnee twins sang a duet without a care in the world.

 _I'm sorry, Princess._

* * *

It was 1 am in the morning when Naruto finished packing his bag. Three days had passed since he learned the knowledge that he was not a Schnee. He had come to a decision that relied upon the response of his father. He would be home in 24 hours. Naruto could not wait.

Naruto looked towards his desk at a piece of paper and brought it towards his bag.

Three sets of clothes? Check.

Instant ramen cups? Check!

A good sum of Lien? Check.

Umbrella? Survival Gear? First-aid? Check, check and doubly check.

Good Oum, how can this bag fit all of this stuff?

As Naruto continued down the list, he was relieved to find all the necessities were there (especially the ramen). The relief, however, didn't lighten the pressure on his chest or the sadness in his heart. There were too many doubts that lingered in the back of his mind.

Placing the bag next to his door, Naruto changed into an ensemble of outdoor clothes. He wore a hooded varsity styled leather jacket that was just the right size for his frame. The arms of the jacket were white while the main body was a dark orange. Under this he wore a plain white t-shirt and white khakis.

It would be best, he had thought, to not wear clothes that identified him as a Schnee.

Being careful to not wake up the house dwellers, Naruto took his bag and placed it on his back while moving through the mansion. Briefly, he stopped at Weiss' then Winter's doors to quickly open them and see them sleeping soundly.

Continuing his mission, he headed towards the first floor. He travelled through the halls of his home before coming to a stop at a familiar set of double doors. Silently, he pulled one open without bothering to close it. Inspecting the room, he quickly found the video conference device sitting at the head of the table on the opposite side of the room.

With every step towards the machine, Naruto's heart quickened. By the time he got to it, his heart was beating almost painfully. He was sweating. _Was this the right thing to do?_ No, he had to see this through. For his own sake.

He needed to do this to become his own person.

Gathering up every one of his courage, he scrolled through the contacts list until he found his dad's. He pushed call.

As he did so, the screen enlarged and he stepped back, briefly surprised.

It took ten seconds for the call to be picked up, but it felt more like hours.

"Hello?" In the next moment, a face appeared on the translucent screen. The face showed a hint of shock at recognizing the caller. "Naruto? What are you doing awake at this hour? You're passed your curfew."

Said boy stood there for a brief moment to contemplate his words. Beads of sweat drifted from his brow and he gulped to find the will to continue.

"Hey dad," he said, "I just wanted to talk since you haven't been home in a while."

"I am well aware. I don't see what's so important that you had to call me at this hour when I would be home tomorrow night."

"But it is important," he replied, "Don't you have time for me?"

The CEO stared back at his son blankly. He spent a moment in silence before he talked back, "What is it you want?"

"I-I was wondering if I could start my Huntsman training with Weiss next month. It is our birthday and I thought-"

"No."

"E-excuse me?"

"I said no. Naruto, you are unprepared for the responsibilities being a Huntsman in training comes with. It is a serious matter. I will not allow you to train while acting as you do around Weiss."

Naruto looked down as he clenched his fist tightly. The entire time he bit his lip in frustration and his bangs shadowed his eyes from view.

"Why? Why do you say it like that? Am I too young? Immature? Am I a danger being around Weiss? Or am I just not good enough to be training at the same time Weiss is!"

"Naruto that's not what I-"

"That IS what you meant! You don't want me to train but you'll let Weiss do it! Noel started when he was nine – Winter started when she was eight! Then what about _me_?!"

"Did you hear about this from your mother?"

"No I didn't! She didn't need to tell me anything. You never thought I was important enough! You think I'm just some fool that likes to cook! You think I'm an embarrassment to the family name!"

"NARUTO! THAT'S ENOUGH!"

"NO, I'M NOT DONE!"

He was floored. He had never heard any of his children raise their voice at him like Naruto had just done. They only attempted to do so when they were adults. He was just a boy of ten. If he had been a lesser man, he would have flinched at the look in Naruto's eyes. They were harsh and cold and bluer than he had ever seen before.

It was the piercing look of pure anger.

"You never loved me! You never cared! You never taught me anything but always expected for me to learn on my own. Tutors don't replace your ability as a father. You were never there…" The young boy was openly crying now and his voice was cracking. "I tried so hard…but you never say anything good about me. You always call me immature and irresponsible and all I wanted to do was be like Winter."

The man was speechless as he heard the young man's concerns. It was true, he was rarely there for his children, Naruto especially, but that didn't mean he didn't care. Naruto he…he just wasn't ready!

"Naruto, as your father I-"

"Shut up!"

For the third time tonight, the old CEO was shocked. His eyes went wide.

"You're not my father." Naruto's eyes steeled as he glared into the orbs of the man on the screen. "You made it clear when you said you didn't believe in me because aren't the same blood!"

Wait, he had heard that? That wasn't-

"All you care about is your business and reputation! Just admit that you never believed in me in the first place! You always pushed me but never in the right direction! You didn't bother to see if I had talent. You never assumed that I could be better. I wasn't a Schnee so I was worthless to you!"

"H-how did-"

"It doesn't matter now." Naruto wiped his tears with his sleeve as he gathered every ounce of his strength. "I don't care that I'm adopted…I don't care that I'm not really siblings with the others or twins with Weiss…"

He took a breath to temper his beating heart. He had to stay calm.

"I didn't care that you weren't my real mother or father…but I wanted you to see me as your son. You never thought I could accomplish anything and that… _that's_ what made you a terrible dad."

He paused before he placed a hand over the disconnect button.

"All I wanted to do was become a Huntsman and make you proud…Goodbye."

Before the man could reply, Naruto cut the call. In the moments afterwards, he stood in silence as the light cut out of the room, leaving him in darkness.

He planned for this, he had to see this through.

He walked out the door, into the hallway, and out of the compound.

Where was he going to go? He didn't know but he needed to leave.

He couldn't be here much longer. Eventually his father would react and call his mother to check up on him. He couldn't allow that to happen.

Packed and ready to go, he started to take steps to walk off the Schnee property line and into the city.

Maybe he'd find a job somewhere or get into a Hunter's academy. Maybe he'd travel to Vale or Vacuo and see the sights…

It was raining out. It seemed it had been for some time seeing as the world was soaked around him. He didn't bother to put on his hood. He'd let his tears mix in with the water falling from above.

It'd be like tiny minutia washed away by the rain and out of time.

He was almost out of their lives, he just needed to pass the-

"WAIT!"

Naruto was shocked. Who was it? Did his father already get hold of his mother? Or was it one of the maids?

As he turned, Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. It was Winter. She stood out in the pouring rain in nothing but a nightgown. Her hair was drenched and stuck to her skin and her feet were covered in mud. She ran here barefoot.

"Winter! Why are you out here?"

"Why are _you_ out here, you idiot?" _She's crying_ , he realized. He was stumped, she never cried.

"Now's not the time to explain…"

"Don't leave…"

Naruto stared at his adoptive sister before he looked down towards the dirt. He felt ashamed.

"I have to."

He couldn't do it. He couldn't look her in the eyes.

He felt something slam into him and weighed him down. His face was brought into his sister's chest as her arms wrapped around his shoulders tightly. She placed soft kisses on the top of his head and onto his wet hair. Her white locks draped both of them as they stood in the downpour.

He started to cry too.

"Why? Why are you leaving?"

"I can't be here any longer, Winter. Please don't make me."

"You're going to get yourself hurt."

"I won't. I promise. And I-"

"Never go back on your promises…I know, Naruto."

She called him by his first name. She…she did care…

"I don't know why you're leaving," Naruto wouldn't come to know for close to a decade that she had been lying about this statement, "but please take care of yourself."

"I will, Winter."

They stood in the cold weather for another minute, content with just their embrace and nothing else. Reluctantly, Winter pulled back and handed him a small bag.

"Inside is a scroll. It's built in with my contact. You have to promise me you'll always message me…"

She looked at him with a smile on her face. The smile was betrayed by the tears that streamed down her eyes as she looked at Naruto with all the love she could muster.

Throughout his childhood he always wanted to see Winter cry, to get back at her for her meanness. Now he realized he hated that sight. He never wanted to see her cry ever again.

"There's also something in there for you. I was saving it for your birthday for when you and Weiss started your training."

As she said this, she noticed his flinch, but thankfully he didn't notice hers.

As he grabbed the bag and finished securing it to his back, Winter pulled him into another hug.

"Winter?"

His voice was cracking.

"Yes my little mouse?"

"Take care of Weiss."

"Of course, Naruto, I know."

"And Winter?"

"Mhmm?"

"I-I-"

"I know, Naruto. I love you too."

 _Even if you aren't my real brother._

For years he would never know that she eavesdropped on Naruto's conversation with their father. It was a shock to her but…but she stilled loved her little mouse. And she didn't want to wake up every morning wondering if he was safe. Not if she had anything to say about it.

With reluctance, Winter let Naruto pull away. She watched him run into the night as the rain stormed down upon her.

Only when he was gone she realized there was an ache in her heart. It was okay though. He would always come back. He kept his promises.

Nevertheless, she smiled. He wanted to prove himself to their family. He wanted to be a Huntsman. She knew he could do it.

 _Of course he can do it_ , she scoffed to herself, _how could he not?_

After all, he was a Schnee.

* * *

 ** _And that's a wrap for the first chapter!  
I love RWBY, I love Naruto, and so I thought, why not? NarutoxRwby Fanfics are amazingly compatible. I also have a lot of time before my next semester in college starts up._**

 ** _I wrote Fanfics almost a decade ago. I had a lot of followers and got good reviews. But obviously, I was a child and hated my writing. I scrapped all of my works and hadn't wrote a Fanfic 'til this little baby was begging to come out for the past week._**

 ** _It won't be until Chapter 8 that we see the start of the canon, so hopefully you all stick around until then!_**

 ** _It will be a 5 girl harem that will be revealed through Chapters 3 to 7._**

 ** _Would you kindly review? And have a nice day!_**

 _(Updated 8/20/15: 8817 words; 8817 words total)_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Man versus Grimm

* * *

 _"_ _Why?! Why would you do this alone?"_

 _"_ _Why would I not?"_

 _His response stunned them._

 _"_ _Every day…every single day I send out you men and women to your potential end. For twenty years I've led this alliance and I've sat back and watched as the people under my wing deal with the threats to our peace. But today…today there's a death at our door and I'm done sitting around. I refuse to allow any of you to help me."_

 _"_ _Nanadaime-same…you're_ _ **dying**_ _. You've exhausted yourself past your limits to save your children! If you go out there as you are – with or without us by your side – you will surely not live to see the sunrise!"_

 _"_ _I know…that's why I can't let you fight with me. I can finish this on my own. What kind of protector would I be if I let others die for me? Let this tired fool indulge in what it means to be a hero one last time."_

 _The man continued to walk away from his league of subordinates as they protested to his back. Their cries rang through the crowd around them, civilians and shinobi alike. They were his loyal followers…no, they were more than that. They were the future of his village._ Their _village._

 _He turned his head, enough for them to see the side of his face. His blond hair swayed in the wind and shadowed his eyes. That smile…It would be the last time the people of this world would see it in their lifetime._

 _"_ _It would be okay if you all let this dead man have his final wish, ne?"_

* * *

 _SLAM!_

"Jesus Christ!"

There was a pause.

"…Who the hell is Jesus Christ?"

Naruto got up and winced as he rubbed his sore cheek. _Why does this keep happening to me?!_

Anime styled tears fell down his face.

Flipping over onto his back with a groan, Naruto stared up at the ceiling of his room. He looked to his right and saw the bed sheets barely hanging off the mattress indicating he must have moved around a lot the previous night. He sighed and hoped the fall hadn't bruised his poor cheek.

You would think he would grow out of habits like this. Good Oum, this was embarrassing - he was eleven for crying out loud!

And on that note, it wasn't as if some person wrote an exposition that stated him to be ten but messed up and changed it to nine. No way could that have happened! **No way**.

At least that person had the decency to fix it!

Grumbling, the run-away laid spread eagle on the wooden floor of his room. Thinking about his age made him contemplate the past few months he'd been on the road.

It had been five months - going on six - since he had left home. At first, after all the swirling emotions raged within him, he had been well confused.

He had no plan. He didn't know what he was doing or what he was getting into. The more he thought about that night the more he questioned if what he did was right.

Running away basically meant that his father was right. Right that he _was_ too immature to handle it. He did it to get back at them, but he also did it so he could be free. He had been very tempted to go back but he had come too far! He would be nothing but a brat who threw a tantrum if he returned home and accomplished nothing on his own.

This was a statement. A promise. He didn't back down from his promises.

The more times he repeated this to himself, the more he believed it. Though there lied a problem with this method. Every time he would convince himself to continue this path, he would think about the moment in the rain with his sister.

Winter's actions stupefied the whiskered youth. She cared. Obviously she did if what she said and did for him that night was any indication. It didn't make much sense though when you investigated their history with one another. She was, borderline, a bully to him and Weiss. Though he could never say she downright _was_ a bully. She was their sister. She took care of them and made sure they were safe.

He remembered days where she would deliberately make him cry…but he also remembered days where their parents wouldn't be around and she was the only one there for him.

He remembered how she would act like a sentry to make sure he studied and scolded him otherwise, but he recalled the days he and Weiss would play with her for hours when their dad wasn't home.

He remembered her teaching him to read late at night – when his tutors assigned him a new book – and he would curl up on the couch with her under a blanket as she helped him through it all.

…

He wanted to grow up to be like her…but he might have never been able to in the first place.

Maybe he just couldn't understand her because he wasn't her age and wasn't as talented. Maybe it was because he couldn't experience being a big brother completely since Neve was only three.

Maybe it was because he wasn't really a Schnee.

 _Sigh_

Whatever the case may be, thinking about his family made the pit at the bottom of his stomach swell in size. The longer he was away, the more the void grew and the more – he believed – he worried them.

Hopefully they even cared to worry.

His brow furrowed at the thought. The idea lurked in the back of his mind. Doubt lingered with it.

Noel and Bianka might. Noel to her was like Winter to him. He didn't show it much, but the eldest Schnee child was quite caring towards his younger siblings. Although he and Noel did not have many interactions throughout his life, he believed that the only other male child in the family probably cared about his whereabouts.

Bianka, though it was a stretch, probably cared too. Despite the way she treated him – as if he were just a child who needed a helping hand at all times – she did show that she cared for him in her weird way. Her be-like-your-older-sister attitude did hold some form of compassion in it.

At the same time, she was a daddy's girl so he wondered if she would understand his side of things.

Then there was Clara…Nawh, he had nothing.

He didn't understand that girl. Frankly, he thought she was scary.

He had a feeling she was secretly as haunting as Winter was a weeaboo.

And Neve…He really didn't think she would understand what was going on. She was, after all, only three. He was sad that he was leaving her too. He didn't get to spend much time with the youngest Schnee, but he always wanted to spoil her like a big brother should. Sadly, he was never too close with her since it was their mother or the nanny always taking her away somewhere.

He also felt fairly certain he missed out on some holidays and the chance to celebrate them with his siblings and…parents.

Naruto's visage took on a conflicted look when he thought of his parents. He knew they cared, after all, he was still the boy they raised for eleven years – and he probably broke his mother's heart – but he couldn't bring himself to accept the possibility he was wrong.

He would hurt and they would feel it too. He followed his own road in life now. That was all he could say about that topic.

Quickly moving on, he thought about Weiss…he felt like trash when it came to her. He abandoned her. He was her twin and he **abandoned** her. Sure, maybe she didn't know that their relation wasn't real, but that didn't excuse what he did.

He thought about asking her to join him, but he couldn't do that to her. He couldn't allow her to live on the run: she had an amazing future ahead of her.

He winced slightly when he remembered he had a way to contact Winter, but it did not occur to him to contact Weiss. Maybe it was for the best. He babied her and dragged her down…this might be a good thing for her...

He didn't want to admit he was a coward.

Shaking himself from the depressing thought, he focused on the bland ceiling. Still lying flat on the hardwood floor, Naruto started to feel the entire room sway. He blinked until he remembered where he was. He was on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. He recounted how he got here

Naruto realized, after the first month of being away from home, he needed to get away from Atlas and from any authority who could recognize him and bring him home.

White hair was not too commonplace. Anyone in Atlas with half a mind would realize he was a Schnee. Naturally, he reasoned that those outside of his home continent wouldn't recognize him at all. After migrating from area to area – sometimes sleeping on the streets or in the forest – he decided to head to a transcontinental terminal to catch a flight to Vale.

It was a good idea…until he realized that not only were Airship tickets really expensive when you had to travel a long distance, airports were riddled with security. He was almost positive, especially considering who his father was, that they were on the lookout for the young Schnee.

Naruto did not have the patience, passport or Lien to deal with that. A flight from Mantle to Vytal was a no go.

Shame, really. He'd never flown before...

He didn't want to admit it either but he was also a spoiled city boy who didn't know the first thing about living out in the harsh wilds of both the cold forests and unforgiving slums of the cities. He had to start from the ground up. He was just happy he had never needed to stoop so low as to steal to survive.

It was moments like these that he was thankful for his dad's strict educational regime. He wasn't the smartest pea in the pod but he was proud to say that he was ahead of his age in maturity. Screw whatever his old man claimed.

Hey, he had been okay so far!

It was another month of rationing his Lien and honing his hunting abilities that made Naruto contemplate a plan to travel to Vale. By the end of the ninth week away from home, Naruto realized – after a run in with a small settlement on the outer reaches of the Atlesian wilderness – that he could make money by dealing with the local Grimm.

The authorities didn't bother with sending patrols or Huntsman and Huntresses to the outskirts of the cities, thus they allowed the inhabitants of the area to deal with the Grimm themselves. They believed since they were so small scale, they could handle it.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) Naruto was able to use this knowledge to his benefit. Though inexperienced, growing up in a family of Hunters allowed Naruto to pick up enough to deal with the deadly creatures. Lucky for him, the Grimm were but newborns who only towered his 4'6" stature by a few inches.

Still, baby Beowolves and Boarbatusks were awfully scary.

Scratch that, they were **damn** scary.

Dear Oum, he almost shit his pants the first time he saw one up close.

…

Not that anyone would ever know that though.

Despite everything, it was still good experience for him. His fast, small body allowed him the advantage. He got Lien for his troubles and the area stayed safe. Win, win: right?

In a few months, Naruto had saved enough extra money to afford a cheap cruise ticket. It was just the right price for him because it was a one-way trip to a minor city. The travel itself would take him from Mantle to an island off the west coast of Vale. From there, he'd find a way to get to the mainland.

"I'll spend a month here, save up, and make my way to Vale."

Deciding it was time to get up, Naruto rose from his spot on the floor and stretched his arms upwards. He yawned as he heard pops from his back. He had been sailing through the ocean on this liner for the better part of a month now. The inactivity made him stiff.

Smacking his lips he stood and peered out the circular porthole that was the window to his suite. He gazed out and saw the sky still darkened by the night. On one side, he saw orange peering up through the horizon as dawn threatened to break the sky. High above, the fractured moon of Remnant shined down upon the continent of Vytal. In the distance he saw an island and smiled excitedly.

Look out Patch, here comes Naruto Schnee!

* * *

Winter was not having a good morning. The fourth Schnee child took pride in the fact that very little got under skin. Aside from Naruto's attempts at ticking her off, she thought herself as someone who had amazing self-control. Thus when confronted by troublesome individuals, it did not phase her in the slightest.

However, that didn't mean she enjoyed it when her little siblings were bombarded with unceasing questions.

Currently in the Schnee family mansion, a small group could be seen questioning a young girl wearing a white and blue dress with a red sash around her waist. Weiss Schnee looked uncomfortable in the presence of the older members of the room. She wore a sleeveless white blouse that frilled in front of her chest and dark, tight fitting women's business pants. Finishing her ensemble she wore silver hoop earrings and a multitude of bracelets on both her wrists.

It contrasted greatly in style to the other men in the room. One of the men wore a white military-esque suit that complimented his stern, matured features and slicked back white hair. The man standing beside him was noticeably much younger. He wore dark grey pin-striped bottoms and a white button-up.

Winter's face did not change but she felt the need to sneer at the two men. The men in question, who were standing across the room from her, was her father and her older brother Noel. She watched them as she observed the other two men, police officers she recognized, interrogate her little sister with question after question.

She resisted the urge to snarl at the persistent agents as they tried to grill the poor girl for information. Ever since Naruto had left, she had become more protective of her. She wasn't sure if it was for Weiss' sake or for her own, but it felt food to be the younger girl's shield.

Sighing, she knew she couldn't say anything out of respect for the two older Schnee males in the room. She didn't like what they were doing at the moment but she also knew they were worried too. They were doing this for the better of the family. Dear Oum help her, she wanted to tear all the men in the room a new one so bad!

These two officers – hired for the purpose of finding the lost Schnee – had come around again to ask for more information for their interrogation. Had they not realized that nothing has changed for the past six months?!

For one, she kept herself tight-lipped about Naruto's whereabouts and made them believe she had no way of contacting him.

Second, they for sure weren't going to get anything new from her little sister!

She glared at her father, knowing full well he was the cause behind this. Not just for Naruto's disappearance, but also for the two men verbally pressuring the young Schnee who sat at her side of the table.

"We just want to ask you again, Weiss," the first officer asked for the umpteenth time, "do you know where your brother could have thought of going?"

There was a moment of contemplation on Weiss' hued face before she replied, "N-no, I don't."

It was obvious to Winter that these no-named detectives (she never bothered to learn them, anyways) thought she knew something just because she was the boy's twin. Clearly that wasn't fair to the child celebrity.

"Do you know any place he frequented in Atlas? Or any of the neighboring cities?"

"We n-n-never really got to l-leave the house a lot."

She was shy and scared.

The second one spoke up with a question, "Do you know any of his likes? That could lead us to somewhere he might visit."

"Naruto, l-liked to cook. He liked ramen."

"Anything else?" The first officer took over again.

"He wanted to train to become a H-huntsman."

There was a slam as a hand hit the table and the second man rose to his feet.

"We already knew that!"

His raised voice made Weiss flinch.

"Stop! She's just a child!" Winter interjected. She also rose to her feet, shooting up out of her chair and making it fall behind her.

"Don't interrupt Miss Schnee! This is important to our investigation!"

"You're asking for information you already know!"

"And we'd be able to find your brother if we knew more!"

Weiss was on the verge of tears now.

"You can't expect her to know everything about our brother just because they're twins." Winter's voice had a strong tone of finality to it. "She told you all she can about him. You're scaring her! It is not _our_ fault he did not have many hobbies or friends."

No one missed the look of resentment the teen turned on her father.

"Listen, Miss Schnee, the boy is just eleven. We are of the understanding that only you and Miss Weiss here were the closest to Naruto. He is a young child who would gravitate towards familiar places and likes. That would give us the edge we need to find him faster!"

"It's been six months, detective. You don't know him as well as we do. He didn't have a chance to branch out his interests. Most importantly: he's smarter than he looks. Don't think him to be just some stupid child."

"Miss Schnee-"

"Enough!"

Winter turned to see Noel step away from his position. It was unlike him to ever have outburst such as that. He was the most cool-headed out of the whole Schnee family.

Uncrossing his arms, Noel walked to the youngest person in the room and kneeled down to her height. Winter noticed the small lines of tear tracks that formed down her pristine face. Gently, Noel placed a hand on top of Weiss' head – much like Naruto would, the Huntress noticed – and softly rubbed the young girl.

Winter didn't know why he was using this little trick. Whether it was to manipulate the young heiress or to remind her of Naruto, she couldn't tell. All she knew was that it was working.

"Weiss, can you think of anything – anything at all – that Naruto liked to do that our parents were not aware about?"

Weiss sat there in silence. Fresh tears were evident as she thought about her brother's question. Noticing all the pairs of eyes that were looking her way, she decided to answer them quickly.

"He liked to read with Winter s-sometimes…when was given a new book from his tutor. H-he liked the drums and singing with me and the guitar but he stopped practicing." She gave the occupants a downtrodden look. No one noticed the emotions on the patriarch's face at the mention of Naruto's musical ability.

The first officer's eyes widened. Quickly glancing at the Dust Company CEO, he turned his gaze over to his partner. He looked down thoughtfully and rubbed his chin.

"Hmm, we knew the first part but the second is new to us. We were not aware that he also liked music."

"There's a district dedicated to music in downtown Atlas."

"Alright, we can start there. Miss Weiss, do you believe that Naruto would hang around that area? Can you tell me why he stopped practicing these instruments?"

The ponytailed girl's eyes brimmed as she pondered the question. Within seconds she burst out into tears and sobbed hysterically. Noel was taken back as he was shocked by her rapid change. Before long, all the room's occupants felt uncomfortable being in the presence of the crying Schnee. Slowly, Winter went to reach for her younger sister but was surprised when the young girl jumped to her feet and glared death at her father through bloodshot eyes.

"WHY!? Why couldn't you just let him do the things he liked? Why did you have to keep pressuring him!? You could have helped him be a Huntsman - he's gone because of you! IT'S YOUR FAULT!"

Weiss' escalating volume ended with a scream that tore through the Schnee's home. Winter's eyes were saucers as she stared at the preteen. With her sorrow getting stronger, Weiss pushed Winter's and Noel's hands away from her as she ran out the room crying harder, slamming the door open harshly as she did sobbed.

After a few minutes, Winter stood and straightened her clothes. Turning to her father she held back the desire to scream. Though he held a stoic face, there was an inkling that he cared when she saw the slight waver in his eyes as she stared back at him.

"Excuse her, father. She is tired from her performance that ran late last night. She is stressed; I will see to it that she calms down before her Huntress training in the afternoon."

Winter walked towards the door as briskly as she could. She didn't want to be here any longer. As she left the scene she could quietly hear Noel's voice trail behind her.

"She has a point, father. He could have been given the world and…and you decided to push him away."

* * *

Naruto walked down the streets of Patch with a smile on his face and music in his ears. He had to admit, Winter had a nice taste in music. He figured the Scroll she had given him was one that previously belonged to her. It had to be since it stilled contained her contact information, a library of her favorite songs and an index of books that ranged from combat instructions to team exercises.

Finishing the message he was writing on his Scroll, Naruto pressed send before he collapsed the portable device and placed it in the bag on his back. Naruto took off his headphones (a pair he was gifted from a nice couple he saved from a Creep) and placed them around his neck. They were a clean white but you could tell they were slightly used and worn down. It hadn't fazed him though. He treasured them so much he bought stencil paper and orange spray paint to create a decal on each side of the speaker.

It was a simple spiral. He didn't know why he liked it so much, but he thought it looked awesome! Forget the Schnee family sigil, this one was all his! And it was orange!

The young lad had a cheeky grin on his face as he strolled through Patch's capitol. The small city was more like a town. It was quaint but it was bustling with life that he had not expected from the coastal province.

Amazed at the new sights, Naruto quickly ran down a business filled boulevard and gaped at the store windows and their item displays.

All this stuff looked so cool! He'd never seen anything like it! There was an independent Dust shop two blocks down that was jammed packed with junior academy students (Signal, if he remembered correctly). To his left was an ammunition store and across the street was a brick and mortar for a variety of clothing. He wondered how many other cool stores he could find!

Quickly zipping through the pedestrians, Naruto found himself drawn to the front of a bookstore that had an almost entire glass front that complimented the dark colored wood the building was made of. Connected to it was a coffee shop that he noticed many young men and women were frequenting.

In wonder, Naruto practically pressed his face to the glass. His eyes widened with sparkles as he looked at all the pretty novel covers in the display. He was so amazed that he never took notice off all the people who stopped to stare at him on the street.

 _What a weird kid._

In Naruto's defense, he didn't get out much. As well, most of the books available to him were ones chosen by his tutor or the boring, nerdy books stacked on the shelves of his father's study. This bookstore opened a new world of wonders to him!

Glancing down, Naruto's curiosity peaked as he stared at a thin paperback…book, he assumed, situated in the front row of the display.

For all the knowledge Naruto possessed in his eleven-year old mind…he had no idea what that was. It was too thin to be a book!

Naruto was so dumbfounded by the item that passersby could almost see a giant question mark above his head.

 _X-Ray and Vav?_

The hell was that?

"You like that comic?"

Naruto blinked as he turned towards the source of the voice. With his hands were still planted firmly on the glass, he placed his attention to a tall man with dark hair that was longer on top than the sides. It was odd in that it was practically black on top but grey around his head. His face was masculine and sported a small smile.

His clothes were slightly odd to him too. His lower half wore dark pants and pointed dress shoes (yet fitted for flexibility he noticed) and his torso wore a modified grey dress shirt. The black lining of the shirt showed as his collar was flared outwards and his sleeves rolled up. Around his neck, attached to the collar that was unbuttoned and showed his chest he wore a tattered cape with red lining that flowed behind him. His hands were on his hips and Naruto could clearly see the black wrist bands and rings he wore.

The whiskered teen tilted his head.

Ara?

"What's it called?"

"A comic. You've never seen one before, kid?"

"Hmm, nope! Nu-uh. I think I've seen some in my sister's room but I've only read novels for as long as I could remember." The older man blinked. This kid didn't know what a comic was? He didn't look older than twelve.

"Huh. You've lived a sheltered life, haven't you?"

"You could say that." Naruto gave the man a sheepish grin.

The older man studied the white haired boy in front of him. He noticed that the boy's orange and white clothing (an ugly combination that oddly looked decent on the kid) was littered with small tears and minuscule cuts. The white-haired preteen also had band-aids and adhesives wrapped around his hands and certain parts of his face. He quickly came to the realization that the boy was probably sporting cuts and bruises under the medical tapes. Superficial wounds, mind you, but still wounds.

The boy had been fighting Grimm and living in shoddy conditions for a while, he reasoned. Good Oum, has the kid even unlocked his Aura? Where were the kid's parents?

"A comic is like a novel with pictures! Except with less words and more colors and a hundred times more action! You want it?"

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before his face scrunched in disappointment. He couldn't waste time or money to get the item if it didn't benefit him. Lowering his hands from the glass, he addressed the older man.

"No…I think it looks cool but I don't have Lien to spare."

The older man eyed him. A comic cost as much Lien as a single meal. Damn, the kid was pulling on his heartstrings - was he homeless or something?

"You want me to buy it for you?"

Looking up the suspiciously generous man, Naruto wondered what this guy's deal was. Why was he being so nice to him? His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Who are you anyways?"

The stranger visibly reacted to the statement. Huh, he realized he didn't actually introduce himself.

Briefly coughing, he struck a pose in front of Naruto. One hand was on his hip with the other stretched to give him a thumbs up. His smile was so creepily brilliant that he could have sword his teeth sparkled.

"Me? I'm Qrow Branwen! Huntsman extraordinaire!"

Naruto stared at the tall man for seemingly ages before his face scrunched up in disgust and confusion.

"Are you one of those people who is a – what do they call it?" Naruto cross an arm under his chest and opposite elbow while he shut his eyes tightly. A look that told Qrow he was thinking hard appeared on the young boy's face. As whiskered cook rubbed a finger under his chin the scythe using Huntsman saw the proverbial lightbulb go off in the lad's head. Opening his eyes, Naruto let out a small sound of recognition before he snapped his fingers and pointed at the older man.

"A pedophile?"

At the word, Qrow balked and turned sheet white. He frantically swiveled his head to see if anyone had heard them. Believing he was in the clear, he rounded back on Naruto.

"N-no I'm not! What in the world gave you that idea?"

"My mother told me to be wary about strangers."

"But t-that doesn't-"

"My sister said old guys were creeps."

"I'M NOT OLD!"

"..."

"…Or a creep!"

"So I figured since you were being nice to me that you were a-"

"W-W-WELL I'M NOT!"

Naruto thought steam would come out of Qrow's head if his red ears were any indication.

"I was just interested-"

"Sounds pervy."

" _WHY_ -" _ahem,_ "why a boy like you is wandering the streets by himself. You look like you've been through the ringer, kid. When's the last time you've had a proper meal or a shower?"

Naruto calmed as he realized Qrow was just being a Good Samaritan. He wasn't really wrong in his assumption either. Sure, he did spend the last few weeks on a cruise liner but he didn't really pick a luxury suite. The months before that too were generally spent camping out in the wilderness or in abandoned buildings.

Sucking in a breath, Naruto bowed slightly to the larger man.

"I'm grateful for your concern but you really don't have to worry about-"

 _Growl~_

The heir's face took on a pink hue as he looked at his stomach. It was evident that the Huntsman noticed too if his smirk said anything.

What absolutely terrible timing.

"You hungry, kid? How about I treat you to lunch?"

…

"Are you sure you're not a ped-"

"NO! STOP SAYING I AM!"

Qrow huffed before he crossed his arms. This kid was really a handful.

"Look White-"

"White?"

"A nickname. It suits you."

Naruto hummed lowly. It kind of did.

"Anyways, kid, it looks like you could use some good food. I swear on my career as a Huntsman that you can trust me. I'm also an instructor at Signal Academy: I've worked with kids before."

At that, Naruto knew he had no real reason to doubt him. Sure, he was wary, but he felt like could trust the man. He eyed the Branwen with a curious gaze. Something about him made him believe the guy was an honest man with good intentions. Naruto stared at Qrow intensely for a moment.

 _"_ _So how about it, gaki? Let's stop training and get some lunch." The white haired man chuckled and patted his apprentice on the back. "I'll treat you to some ramen, Na-"_

"Yo White. You there?"

Naruto blinked as he saw Qrow's fingers snapping in front of his face.

"M'sorry, what?"

"I said I'll treat you to some ramen, kid. How's that sound?"

Naruto smiled as all his inhibitions flew out the window. His smile was so sweet that it could hide the devil's intentions.

Oum have mercy on this poor, poor fool.

* * *

Qrow sat at the ramen stand with his mouth agape with tears running down his eyes. The chef in front of him had his mouth wide as well. The cook's hands were like a machine: dumbly placing bowl after bowl of ramen in front of the young charge.

 _Where does it all go?!_

For the past fifteen minutes he watched as Naruto devoured…everything! It was utter madness that he was on his _16_ _th_ _bowl_. He, himself, hadn't even finished his first!

Naruto was eating so fast he already _broke_ two pairs of non-wooden chopsticks!

What the fuck - it wasn't like he was in a life or death battle - he was _eating_!

"How did you even finish that one while you were eating this one!? I was watching you the whole time!"

"…I like ramen."

"I SEE THAT!"

The Huntsman sighed in frustration. Three parts of him were having an internal debate. One part said to be proud that he was helping the kid out. That was Kindness.

Another was ticked off that he let himself get into this mess – that was Annoyance.

The third…

Well Generosity was crying in a corner…

While clutching a wallet to his chest and drowning himself in tears…

Literally.

Intent on stopping the boy from continuing his Godzilla rampage through his ramen, Qrow decided to strike up another conversation.

"So, White, I'd at least like to know the name of the boy chewing through all my money!"

Naruto paused and eyed the older man critically. He couldn't be sure what this man would do if he found out he was a Schnee. The name rang true for most people anyways. If you were a Huntsman, you were certain that your Dust had been in the hands of SDC at one point. If you were a business man, you'd probably be in a deal with one of the Schnee branches or flagships. If you were a Faunus…well the Faunus hated his dad, so to an extent they also hated him.

He was sure Qrow wasn't a Faunus – no matter the resemblance in name – but he knew it wouldn't be a good idea to tell the man he was a Schnee.

Remembering his practically non-existent manners, Naruto put his 20th bowl down before swiveling his small body towards the Huntsman. He extended his arm and smiled widely.

"Names Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

 _Huh, that was oddly easy to say._

"Well good to finally have a name to call ya, Naruto."

"It's better than 'White', Mr. Branwen."

"Qrow."

"So Qrow, why'd you take interest in me?"

"…If you call me a pedophile again I will strike you down."

"Isn't that child abuse?"

"I'm a teacher, I call it sparing."

"…I need an adult…"

"I AM an adult…"

Qrow's eyes widened slightly as he remembered where he was. He gave a nervous chuckle and a sheepish smile towards the ramen chef who eyed them weirdly. The owner gave a shrug before going to the back to return to his work.

" _Anyways_ , to answer your question, you reminded me of my nieces. I thought a kid their age shouldn't be wearing rags or a bag that's seen _way_ too many Grimm encounters."

To Naruto's credit, he didn't flinch at the mention of Grimm. He figured if this man really was a Huntsman, he would know his shit. The tears and scuffs on his bag (as well the makeshift repairs) could even by identified by an Academy student as the work of a low-class Grimm.

"Well I guess you could say I'm not like other kids."

"If you wanted to be more obvious you should wear a sign."

The older male chuckled before Naruto spoke up once again, "So you got two nieces?"

"Yeah. One's your age; the other two years younger. I live with 'em and my brother-in-law – he's a Huntsman and instructor, too. I'd be devastated if my nieces were traveling Remnant like you were kid. Hell, I'd be worried if they were on the other side of Patch!" The older man's exaggerated hand motions were enough to make Naruto crack up. "How's your family so comfortable with letting you out so young?"

"My family?"

"Yeah! You must be worrying them by being out here all by yourself."

Naruto thought about the older man's words. Was he? He thought he was. What was he supposed to say? He was a runaway from one of the richest families in all of Remnant?

That'd go as well as saying he was a Ninja reborn far, far into the future.

Pfft, crazy, right?

"My family is okay with it. It's filled with many over-achievers so they thought it was time for me to pursue my dreams as well. I've just been traveling by myself for almost half a year."

Qrow's over dramatic shock and gaping mouth would have made him laugh if he hadn't been focused on cementing his lie.

"Half a year? Kid, you look nine!"

"I'm eleven, old man."

"You speak much to well to be eleven, ya brat."

"You just said I looked ten."

"Not my point! I'm just saying it's a pretty dangerous world out there."

"Well yeah, but I've been doing okay so far. I've dealt with Beowolves, Creeps and Boarbatusks."

If Qrow was impressed he didn't show it. There was a sudden change in his demeanor. Naruto knew he meant business with that straight face of his. The boy guessed this is what it was like as a Huntsman. He could see that Qrow had something akin to a switch in his head that got him serious when he wanted to be.

He guessed this was one of those times.

"So far? Naruto, what happens when you deal with something you can't handle?"

"I'll think about it when I get there. I do have a weapon, yenno."

"Yeah, White? What is it?"

Naruto placed down his 25th bowl before reaching over his shoulder to a handle sticking out of his bag.

It was a decently long weapon – how the kid fit it in that tiny bag would forever be a mystery to him – with an equal in length blade and handle. In total, he would estimate the weapon to be 3 and a half feet in length. It was a weapon made for an adult. He guessed that Naruto was meant to grow into it.

The cylindrical-like handle was wrapped in black. It was straight with no taper. The blade itself curved upwards towards the tip. Its sori was reminiscent of a katana. The tsuba of the blade was simple and rounded like an ellipse.

"A nagamaki? Not many people use those anymore."

"My sister gave it to me for my birthday."

"So what can it do?"

"…What do you mean?" Naruto's blank stare made Qrow's eyebrow raise.

"I mean what battle purpose does it have?"

"It…cuts things?" This made Qrow emit a funny sound as he tried to hold in his laugher. He made an awkward face as he put his fingertips in front of his mouth to keep it in.

 _Pfft,_ he thought, _is he joking?_

"No seriously kid! What's it do?"

"It cuts things!"

...Oh shit.

"…Holy crap you're not joking…"

"What's that supposed to mean! It's a blade and it cuts things!"

"You're serious!? It has no secondary function or alternate form?"

"Secondary-whata? Alternate-whosa-whatsit? Make sense old man!"

"…Are you an idiot?"

"Hey!"

"How can you have fought Grimm with a weapon that doesn't have a secondary? You're telling me it doesn't do anything?" Qrow raised his hands in exasperation. "No combining to form another weapon? No defensive or utility capabilities? No mechanism to turn it into a GUN?"

"Uhh…"

"Shit, White! Rule #1 of being a Huntsman: _everything is a gun_!"

"Well _sooor~ry._ Like I said, my sister gave it to me before I left home."

"So it's a training weapon? How have you lived this long with _that_."

Now that Naruto thought about it, how did he? Inspecting his weapon, it was much too large for someone of his size. As well, it wasn't properly maintained since he didn't have the means to while on his travels.

Every time he got into a fight with a Grimm he just kind of…moved. Like his body would tell him what to do. Sure, he still got roughed up, but at least his instincts made sure he wasn't dead.

It felt…natural to him. Like second nature.

"Well what do you expect me to do? I can't afford a new weapon and I don't have the time." Naruto's face scrunched up a little tighter in annoyance. "I'm not getting rid of it either! It's important to me."

 _Good Oum,_ thought Qrow, _this kid must have the gods themselves watch other him! It's a miracle he's alive._

"Does your weapon have a name?"

"A…name?"

Qrow sighed loudly as he rubbed his temples. _Stay calm, you're a teacher, Qrow. You can handle this_. _It's only an eleven year old boy._

"Yeah, a _name_. Every credible Huntsman or Huntress knows to name their weapon. It's a signature, of sorts. It is the basis of their livelihood and fighting spirit. You're too young to have a refined semblance, so your nagamaki must at least have a name, right?"

Naruto stared at Qrow so blankly that it almost hurt. Almost.

"I'm not sure what you mean." Qrow grabbed his chin in thought.

"Like, let's see, oh! Like Ivory Steel! Or…or! How about Swirling Edge!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Stare~

"Those are stupid names."

 _A very stupid eleven year old boy._

"Psh, like a kid like you would understand genius!" Qrow crossed his arms and stuck his chin high.

Still with no emotion of his face, Naruto turned to the ramen chef who had just placed Naruto's 31st bowl in front of him. Noticing the white-haired boy's glance, he quickly picked up that the boy wanted his view on the topic. Clearing his throat, the chef went to wipe his hands with a rag while saying his honest opinion.

"I agree sir. They are quite stupid, Mr. Branwen."

The chef walked away from the duo as Qrow acted as if he were struck through the heart.

It was so believable, blood spurted from the front of his shirt.

Recovering, a distressed Qrow addressed the young boy to get back on topic.

"Your opinion on my-"

"Shitty."

"-names aside, take it from me: you're going to need a real weapon if you want to be a Huntsman."

"How am I supposed to do that? As you can see, I'm not a student. I don't even have the money to hire a guy to make it for me."

Qrow looked thoughtful for a second before he pointed at Naruto with a gun hand gesture.

"Tell ya what, White, since I'm a teach at Signal and also an amazing generous guy," He winced. Clearly he had to be if Naruto's 37th bowl had anything to say about it, "I'm gonna help you out and help you create a personal weapon."

Naruto's mouth dropped wide. "Really?"

"Yup!"

"No lie?"

"Nope."

"You're not shitting me?"

"White, I'm dead serious."

"…"

"…"

"…You sure you're not-"

"Finish that sentence and you're not getting _anything_."

The Schnee laughed as Qrow glared him down. When was the last time he'd met someone who was genuinely this nice to him? It was refreshing to see someone do something for him just because they were kind. Qrow didn't even know he was a Schnee!

If Naruto were honest with himself, he could have cried if he wasn't so giddy. The last half-year had not been kind to the boy. Even before then – despite living in luxury – life with the Schnee's wasn't all that rewarding with their shrewd, overbearing father.

It was the first time Naruto had ever felt like someone was watching out for him. He felt acknowledged by someone who wasn't Winter or Weiss and that meant more to him than he thought possible.

Designing and making a weapon was not an easy task. For someone to treat him this well just for the sake of being a nice guy…

Naruto realized this was the life he was missing out on. Maybe – hopefully – he would get to meet more people like Qrow Branwen.

There was a beep and a look of surprised that flashed over Qrow's face. The older man pulled out his Scroll and extended it. Reading the message, the Huntsman's brow furrowed and his eyes gained an intense look.

He huffed before placing enough Lien down on the counter to pay for Naruto's meal. He asked the chef for a piece of paper and a pen. Writing something down, he handed it to Naruto while getting up.

"This is the address to Signal Academy. Meet me in front of the school tomorrow afternoon and we can get started on your new weapon."

"Is something wrong Qrow? You seem to be in a hurry."

"It's nothing to worry about White. My brother, Taiyang, is just nagging me that I'm late for something."

Naruto stared up at Qrow. He couldn't explain it…but it was like he could _feel_ the negative emotions roll off of the Huntsman. Qrow was a good liar – probably due to that Huntsman experience – but his eyes gave him away.

However, Naruto knew it was not his business. If nothing else, Naruto learned from his adoptive father that there were some issues that are not meant to be pried at by outsiders. Sometimes this conflicted with his innate desire to help out everyone in need but this was not one of those moments.

Qrow was an adult...He thought he was an adult at least.

And that's what mattered!

Thanking Qrow for his time, Naruto parted ways with him and excitedly thought about their meet up tomorrow.

He was another step closer to becoming a Huntsman!

* * *

 _Hey, sis!_

 _The trip to Patch was longer than expected but I made it in one piece! I landed here this morning. Now that I'm here I can contact you more easily, so I'm sorry that I haven't talked to you in a while. Message me back when you can. :)_

 _Still miss you._

 _P.S. I told you not to worry about me – nothing can keep me down!_

Despite Winter's reputation as a cold-shouldered Schnee, Naruto's simple messages to her were enough to make her smile in contentment. It was nice to know that he was still okay.

She could never be so certain with how he was doing, but to her, the words on her Scroll were enough.

She laughed quietly to herself as she read the next message. It talked about a weird guy – a Huntsman instructor at Signal, he explained – and how the guy treated him to ramen afterwards.

Oum bless the poor fool.

Quickly, Winter typed out a short message back to her young pen pal. It was to the point and, in Winter's own weird way, showed just how glad she was that he was safe. She wasn't the best sister but she believed the bond that Naruto and she shared made up for her often bold attitude growing up.

She showed more emotion than Noel and Clara at least…

Well…no one understood Clara, really…

Finishing her message she collapsed her Scroll before placing it on her nightstand. She walked out of her room and towards Weiss' before knocking on the door.

"Weiss, it's time for dinner."

"I'm not hungry." She heard the muffled reply through the door and figured the young girl was crying her eyes out.

Winter sighed. It was hard treading the fine line of a cold, professional Huntress while worrying about her younger siblings. She did not like to show emotions, but those two were always the exception.

Especially her little mouse.

Walking away from the young girl's room, she figured Weiss was just exhausted. The annoying detectives in the morning had caused the girl emotional stress. It tired her out immensely before her private combat lessons. It did not help that last night had been a big recital for the young heiress. It was made even worse with the knowledge that she had her first real concert by the end of the week.

In Atlas, a majority of the continent of Mantle was military themed. Sure, like the other major cities of the world, there was entertainment and attractions - places that's defied the aesthetic and culture of the area – but it did not take away from the fact that a military prominent city would always be stern and proper. So when something out of the norm came through people took notice.

And a beautiful, young Schnee girl was hard not to notice.

Weiss' popularity was growing immensely. The young girl had a budding talent that was easily appreciated by many and her audience was growing with her.

The girl was cold, but underneath – most evidently when she was singing – they saw a warmth that was as captivating as her singing ability.

The fact that they could tell the girl was saddened by something only boosted her musical ability and polarity as they saw and heard her pour her heart out into song.

Winter bit her lip. Though the success was great for Weiss and the family as a whole, it was very stressful on the poor girl who worried day and night about her cherished older brother.

She often came to her, two or three times a week, just to talk about Naruto as Winter did her hair for her.

Winter smiled at the memories. She was cold not heartless.

Making her way downstairs to the dining room, Winter was greeted by the sight of her family. On one end of the long table sat the Schnee matriarch. Her mother looked elegant, but since Naruto's disappearance, if one looked closely enough, you could see the signs of distressed on her face. She still held herself in a regal manner, but her eyes were hued pink and there were bags present that had been covered by makeup. There was no doubt that she had trouble sleeping.

Winter couldn't help but feel saddened knowing their mother cried herself to sleep some nights. She knew their mother blamed herself.

To her immediate left sat Neve. The young girl looked cute in a small, evening dress as she enjoyed her meal and picked at the vegetables in front of her. She was adorable and oblivious to the fact that things were not okay in the family at the moment. No one could blame her, she was shy of turning four. Oum bless her young soul.

To the left of her sat Bianka and Clara. There had been no change in their appearance over the last six months and their personalities still had much to be desired. They sat there as if nothing was wrong.

Winter shared a small smile with her mother as she sat to her right, across from Neve. Neve gave her an excited wave before going back to fighting her food. Winter's older sisters hadn't even addressed her.

It was a typical Schnee greeting.

"Mother, is Noel or father not joining us today?"

"I'm afraid not, dear. Noel has left to Mistral to spend the weekend with his fiancé. Your father made his way to the office."

"Is this about the reports of strikes by the Faunus unions?"

Bianka spoke up, "Sadly yes. I heard they're not too keen on the conditions the company has them working under."

Winter frowned at the response. "I can understand why. There have been many changes since grandfather stepped down from his position as CEO, the Faunus are not too happy about that."

No one spoke up after that. It was a sensitive topic for the entire Schnee line. There had already been death threats towards them in hopes to frighten the current SDC CEO. They weren't working.

They ate in relative silence as Winter observed her family members. She realized none even questioned the lack of the second youngest Schnee daughter. She didn't know how to feel about that. She knew it was courtesy for them to worry about Weiss yet Winter, herself, knew that Weiss had not been eating with them a lot recently since…

The fourth Schnee child grumbled under her breath. She wondered, aside from herself and her parents, if the other children knew Naruto was adopted. She thought maybe Noel knew, but he never gave her any reason to believe such.

She figured not since her mother never brought it up. She remembered confronting her mother a week after Naruto left home. The woman spent the better part of the week in silence and tears. It was hard to see her that way – their mother already placed Neve into the responsible hands of her nanny – but Winter felt like she still needed to discuss the issue with her even if it hurt the older woman.

The conversation they had, while rocky due to their mother's depression and Winter's anger, had shed much light on the whole situation. From what she gathered, when Weiss had been born, her parents came to clear the baby so they could bring her home. When they made their way to the viewing room, they found another baby in a crib next to hers. They were placed in the room with a few other newborns (after the baby's initial checkup) and the nurse had placed them next to each other because she had mistaken them for twins.

Winter was told that Naruto's mother had died during child birth and his father had been deceased for a few months at that point. In an act of pity and kindness – after seeing Weiss and Naruto together like that – her mother was able to convince her husband to take him as well. Ever since then, he had been living as a Schnee and no one was the wiser.

Though heartwarming, Winter knew saying the story only brought the woman pain. Before Naruto left, he had been scolded by their mother. It was a large party at one of SDC's shareholder's home. He invited every major member of the board and that included the entire Schnee family.

Long story short, a child of one of the families had been picking on Weiss. Naruto had come in and put an end to it, physically. Because of this, their mother had pulled Naruto aside and verbally berated him. Winter never knew what she said to Naruto, but she knew it hurt him.

Their mother was the only one who treated Naruto truly as a son, so for him to see her in that light might have damaged the poor boy.

In the aftermath, Winter had taken Naruto home. She found out a day later that their mother went to talk with the other boy's parents to apologize and was shocked that _they_ apologized to _her_. She was so surprised that, when she found out it wasn't Naruto's fault, she almost broke down crying.

The moment their mother talked to Weiss to confirm the story was the moment when the woman became devastated. Winter couldn't blame the matriarch either for feeling guilty. Before she even knew the whole picture, she immediately blamed her son.

Sadly, due to the way their father ignored Naruto (and the boy's own rebellious nature) it wasn't the first time either.

Their mother was too busy to talk to Naruto after that incident. She meant to apologize…but he had ran away the week later. The matriarch's puffy eyes signified that she truly blamed herself…and that she truly believed Naruto hated her.

It wasn't a wrong assumption. The last thing she had done to Naruto was yell at him after all. The boy was impressionable too. He was months shy of being twelve.

Immediately, she was shaken from her thoughts as she heard a familiar voice.

"Mother, my graduation from the academy is next month. Will everyone reschedule their activities to be present in my commencement?"

Winter's eyes locked on her sister Clara as she spoke to their Mother. Clara was, too, a perfect child in the eyes of their father. She, with her tall figure and short cut white hair, was as beautiful as her older and younger sister.

She was a talented Huntresses, one that was even noticed by General Ironwood. Incredibly smart – probably the smartest in the family – and laid back. She had a calming personality and liked to paint. She was good at what she did if she felt it worth her time. Clara respected everyone in their family and cherished them dearly.

Except for Naruto.

The soon to be sixteen year old never knew what Clara's deal with Naruto was. Naruto didn't either apparently. She never treated him wrongly, but she…well she never treated him like anything. She knew when he was in the room but never acted upon it. Winter was sure you could count the amount of interactions they had over the years with two hands.

Did Clara know Naruto wasn't blood related? From what her mother told her, no. So it begged the question why a "perfect girl" like her treated her only little brother like a ghost.

No one ever understood Clara. And, after the way she's treated Naruto for the past decade, Winter knew she didn't want to.

"Yes, Clara. I've already spoken to your father and Noel and they will be sure to attend with the rest of the family."

Winter noticed her mother's wince. Glancing at Clara, she knew she had as well.

"Oh! That reminds me, mother, I got the lead role in the movie I auditioned for!"

This time it was Bianka who spoke up. Bianka was everything like Clara, except with longer hair and a more eccentric personality. The eldest daughter took after their father in the pride aspect and looked up to Noel as the perfect older brother. She – just as Weiss was a singer, Clara a painter, Noel a businessman, or Naruto a cook – loved to be an actress. Though a Huntress herself, her passion came in the form of staring in large, block buster movies. The people adored movie-star Bianka. Everywhere she walked was a red carpet.

"That's great, honey. I'll be sure to tell your father about another of your accomplishments."

Their mother smiled warmly at Bianka, but Winter knew it wasn't enough for the eldest heiress. To Bianka, it would still be lacking.

Bianka liked being the center of attention. She was prideful – arrogant even – a trait she took from their father. The talented, gorgeous and charismatic twenty-two year old had every reason to be. She acted better than everyone, but never that way to her family.

However, it angered Winter that Naruto was the exception to the rule.

Bianka adored Noel. Noel, in turn, treated Bianka much like Winter would treat Naruto. Because of this, Bianka always picked on Naruto and made fun of him. It was different from the way Winter did it. Winter did it out of familiarity. Bianka did it to coax Naruto into being better.

Bianka wanted Naruto to look up to her, and not Winter. The second eldest Schnee child wanted Naruto be like Bianka because the girl believed Naruto had the potential to be like Noel, the older brother who was her role model. So when Naruto failed at anything he did – which was no fault of his own but mostly their father's – she continued her actions in a harsher way, believing it to be for his own good.

As his sister, Bianka believed she knew what was best for the youngest male Schnee. She believed in was only right that Naruto looked to her as a role model and no one else.

With this being her history with Naruto, it was…odd, to say the least, about her personality change after he ran away.

Winter was aware that Bianka knew her actions may have been a trigger of Naruto's disappearance, but her pride wouldn't let her see the full scope of the issue. In her mind, Naruto's leaving meant he was a failure of a Schnee. Though Bianka and Naruto shared the love siblings should have, it did not go deeper than that. So even though Bianka worried over Naruto just as the rest of the family did, there was still an emotion that seeped up through the cracks of the love that Bianka had for Naruto.

She was jealous.

The third Schnee daughter had no doubt in her mind that Bianka was jealous. Naruto became the concern of the family after his little stunt and that took away from Bianka's spotlight. It was if the love she had for Naruto was on one side of the scale and the jealousy was on the other. It was sad to say the jealousy won out more often than necessary.

Winter knew it was utter hypocrisy. Bianka was living a contradiction if she believed she could love Naruto and be worried for him but feel jealous that he was the main concern of the family. She couldn't have it that she wanted Naruto to be more like her and Noel but push him away because he failed at being in their father's favor. Her entire sisterly love for Naruto was a major juxtaposition of her selfishness.

"I believe it's going to be another summer hit! Don't you think so Neve?"

Neve looked up from her mashed potatoes only for a moment. "Huh? Yup yup, sis. Sure!"

"What will the movie," their mother started, "be about? Have you been given the script yet?"

"Mhmm! It's a romance about a girl who is in an unrequited love with a tall, dark and broody man while she pushes away a caring, cheerful boy. Eventually the dark man runs away from home in hopes to capture the killer of his family while the cheerful boy does everything to return the man to her at the sake of his own happiness." Bianka sighed dreamily at the premise of the film, already imagining how it would look on the big screen. "It's going to be so cute!"

Though a Schnee Bianka was, her eccentricities heavily outweighed her cold, signature Schnee nature. Especially when her acting was involved.

"Oh, sounds very interesting, Bianka. How does the ending go?"

"But that would be telling, mother!" Bianka leaned on her elbow as she pointed a fork towards the older woman. "I cannot wait to start filming! I'm already prepping on how to channel my sadness into my work. I could even ask Weiss for some tips."

Winter stopped eating as she lowered her cutlery. She stared intently at her eldest sister as the actress leaned her chin onto her left palm.

"I have heard people have been enjoying this aura of mystery around Weiss," their mother responded sadly, "since, of course, she won't explain to the media why she's been so depressed."

"Exactly! I'll take a page from her book and allow my inner sorrows to excel my acting prowess."

"Doesn't sound like you're all too sad, sister."

Winter closed her eyes and gently wiped at her mouth with a napkin. She didn't need her eyes open to know Bianka's temper was simmering beneath her giddy façade.

"Oh but I assure you, Winter, I am feeling absolutely devastated."

"I'm not saying you aren't. I'm just observing that, outwardly, you do not appear to be distressed. As well, the matter of Weiss' emotions is of the utmost seriousness. It is _not_ a tool just to heighten your frivolous acting methods."

Winter could practically hear the metal fork in Bianka's hands groan as she clutched the utensil.

"I'm sorry, _little_ sister, but I must disagree. I truly am heartbroken over our family's loss."

"Is that so? While I share the same sentiment, it did not seem that way to me. Maybe I'm just tired and grasping at straws. Rather, I was distracted by your disregard to the seriousness of the matter. I might add, it is unbecoming of you to use such a tragedy for your own gain. However, it is not _unexpected_."

The feeling in the room was tense as the matriarch of the Schnee family stared at her two daughters. While Winter had a point, she was going somewhere with this and subtly attacking Bianka. She wasn't sure the outcome of this argument.

"Pray tell, then, do you believe I'm uncaring? I assume you're saying that I'm not sad and I'm just using this terrible loss for my own gain. I am correct, no?"

As she said this, Bianka was slowly driving her fork into the wood of their dining room table. She was a Huntress herself. Even the smallest vector of force could split the table in two.

However, Winter was mad. She wouldn't let Bianka get away with this: acting like a snotty, little _bitch_. Did she have no shame? Using their brother's disappearances like that…Winter wondered if the older girl even cared at all. How could she claim to love Naruto but say… _this_. It was absolute bullshit. She knew, deep down, Bianka didn't mean it, but her jealousy truly was taking the better of her.

Either way, Winter knew the outcome of this conversation. Along with pride, Bianka had inherited their father's temper to the T.

"You said it, sister of mine, not me."

Winter had won.

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSE TO MEAN, BITCH?!"

Bianka shot up like a bullet as everything clanked around her. Her breathing quickened into huffs as she stared daggers into Winter's eyes. Slowly, the younger girl stood to oppose the angry Schnee as they came face to face.

"I thought it was obvious to an _intelligent_ girl like yourself. I didn't expect you to be selfish _and_ stupid."

"You take that back, you whore, or I'll cut up that pretty little face of yours."

"Funny. Here I thought you were more likely to do that to yourself. You know, to get some surgery done and be the talk of the town?"

"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

"You're right, I don't. You're already the talk of the town, you dirty slut."

Though a bold faced lie since Bianka was a virgin, that particular insult did wonders in Winter's favor.

"Why the _fuck_ are you even mad, Winter?! You didn't act like this for the past six months. He's gone! Fucking deal with it."

"He is _family_ you conceited bitch! Not everything is about you!"

"I never said-"

"You didn't have to say anything, you fucking cunt! You don't care about anyone but yourself. I know you! You're a fucking liar if you say you miss him you Oum damned hypocrite!"

"You don't know shit about me, you little shit!"

"Don't I? When's the last fucking time you were nice to him? Now all I'm hearing from that dick sucking mouth of yours is 'oh, I miss him so much!'" Winter mimicked Bianka's voice as she mocked the source of her ire. "But that's all your good at, isn't it? Acting? Why don't you fucking tell the truth for once in your life and say you've never cared about him to begin with!"

If Winter wasn't so mad, she would have seen the look of regret Bianka had sent her way.

"Go to hell, Winter! You're not allowed to fucking judge me or talk to me like you were his world! You treated him like shit to!"

Winter slammed her hand on the table. It was hard enough that every plate, cup and utensil flew an inch off the table before harshly slamming back down. Winter was sure she broke a few items but she didn't fucking care. She grit her teeth.

"Don't. Talk. To me. Like you know anything about us!"

"What the hell do you mean by that? We all knew him!"

"NOT LIKE ME! YOU DIDN'T KNOW HIM LIKE I DID!"

Winter's outburst shocked everyone at the table. The self-control Winter proudly boasted about had gone out the window minutes ago and so did her level-headedness. She was just _mad_. It was a sight that no one had seen before. Winter, like all her siblings, held onto the legendary Schnee temper with the easiest triggers. However, unlike her sisters, Winter held a great amount of self-control. To see her so mad…The pure, unadulterated anger was something that every person at the table had to admit didn't belong on the teen girl's face.

It was just so…wrong.

"None of you knew him like I did." Winter scanned the occupants of the table around her. Looks of shock and looks of sadness were evident on all their faces. "None of you were there when he needed it. You all assume just because he was in this household that he lived a charmed life, but he didn't."

Winter clenched her eyes are tears threatened to fall.

"I was the one who picked him up from school every afternoon when you were all too busy to do so. I was the one who healed his cuts and bruises whenever he got hurt. I was the one who taught him how to read or ride a bike."

The women in the room couldn't tear their eyes away the crying girl. Sadly…she was right. It pained them to say so but she did all the deeds they, as a family, were supposed to do.

She, admittedly, was the strongest of the family. They knew it hit her hard but she stayed strong for _them_. Bianka sighed internally. Maybe she pushed it too far.

The Schnee's were a rich family. A powerful one. But…they weren't perfect.

"I know I made fun of him…I know I called him annoying and we got into fights and I've made him _cry_ …but h-he's so important to me." She wiped at her eyes with the back of her arm. " _I'm_ the one who took care of him when he was sick. _I'm_ the one who played with him or helped him study when dad took Weiss away from him. _I'm_ the one who actually ate his cooking."

She laughed and almost choked on a sob as she reminisced about her brother.

"He made so many mistakes. They tasted awful. S-so _bad_. But I ate them anyways. I was blunt and told him they were terrible. But you know what he did? He smiled."

She raised her head to glare at the three women in front of her. They could feel the intensity of her eyes burn into their skulls. They knew whether they looked away or not, they should be ashamed.

Winter knew she was creating a rift in their family, but there was already a few. What was one more to their already broken relationships?

"So yes. I treated him like shit sometimes too…but I know he at least loves _me_."

Her mother gave her sad eyes. She didn't have any proof to say that she was even close to being wrong.

Clara's mouth opened and closed. She paused for a moment before she looked towards her younger sister.

"Winter…he's gone."

"Don't you think I know that, Clara?! Why does it matter to you? It's not like you ever cared about him!"

In Clara's eyes flashed an emotion Winter had never seen on the girl before. She didn't know what it was either. She couldn't think about it for long as Clara spoke.

"Winter, I-"

"Why are you fighting? Is it about Nawuto?"

Silence filled the room as all eyes turned to the youngest girl as she spoke. There was a small frown on her pudgy face as she looked like she fought the urge to cry.

"When you all talks about Nawuto you all get sad. Whewe's Nawuto? I wanna play with him. He never has time to play with me. Does he not like me anymoe, mama?"

Their mother's eyes became watery as she wiped the tears from her youngest child's eyes.

"Sweetie, Naruto's going to be gone for a while. But don't worry, your big brother will be home soon enough! Then he's going to play with you all you want!"

Neve cheered up slightly as her eyes took a brighter expression. "Okay! I wait for Nawuto then."

Her smile was so adorable it pained everyone in the room. Winter noticed it even affected Clara. Maybe she did care.

 _Tch, maybe._

Their mother turned to Winter with a sad expression on her beautiful face.

"Winter, can you be a dear and bring Weiss her dinner?"

Winter turned to look at Bianka. Her eyes told the older Schnee that this wouldn't be the end of their little argument. "Of course mother."

Relaxing her fists, Winter grabbed a plate and headed out the kitchen with a heated glare sent Bianka's way.

She didn't bother looking at their broken faces. The deserved all the pain.

If Naruto was going to suffer, they will too. That, Winter believed, was what made a family.

Winter approached Weiss' room and could hear the girl sob from out in the hallway. It was an emotional evening for them all. She knocked on the door lightly.

"Weiss, it's me. I brought your dinner."

"Go away!"

"Weiss, you need to eat. I'm coming in."

Opening the door, she saw the disheartened twin nowhere to be found. Her room was a mess with clothes and books (ones the younger singer had thrown in frustration, she assumed) all across the room. The bed was not made and the blankets were strewn everywhere.

Closing the door behind her, Winter followed the sound of the young girl's crying and found her curled up on the floor next to her bed.

Winter's face was blank but still red from her previous moment in the dining room. She placed Weiss' dinner on a table in front of them and lied down next to the eleven-year old.

"Shhh." She cooed softly into the young girls ears. She wrapped her arms around the girl and brought her close. Weiss curled into a fetal position as she was pressed close to her older sister.

Weiss' crying intensified as she was consoled in her sister's arms.

"Why!? W-why did he l-leave me, Winter?"

"I don't know, Weiss."

"I-I thought h-he loved us…"

"He does love you. It's going to be okay."

She noticed she started to cry too. She hadn't realized, all this time, that maybe she needed to be comforted as well.

"The little mouse will be back. Everything will be okay."

Both girls continued to cry as they laid on the floor, Weiss' dinner forgotten. For the rest of the night, it was just them as they worried about their whiskered sibling. Every hour or so, Weiss would repeat 'why did he leave' over and over as Winter hugged the girl tighter. Even in her sleep she did so.

Before she slept, a single thought passed through Winter's head.

 _Still miss you_.

She smiled. Maybe not today, but soon, everything was going to be okay.

* * *

Things…were definitely not okay for Naruto Schnee.

He grunted as he slammed the blade of his nagamaki into the neck of another Grimm.

As he panted, he watched the Grimm dissolve in nothingness in front of him. That was the eighth kill tonight.

Naruto huffed and gulped down air as his sweat was cooled by the cold night air. What the hell was happening? He had never encountered this many Grimm in such a short amount of time before.

It was fast approaching night, Naruto realized. He guessed it was around 9 o'clock. After he and Qrow parted ways, he continued to explore Patch. In that time he scouted many safe zones for himself and tried to find a place to camp out.

That brought him to where he was right now: the wilderness of Patch.

Everything was going fine until he encountered a baby Ursa. It stood at 4 inches taller than him but was not difficult to take down. The larger Grimm's movements were sluggish compared to his lithe frame.

Still, it was nothing out of the ordinary. But then a second one came.

This time, within twenty minutes of the last, a Beowolf had come into his area…hunting for something. It came too close for comfort and Naruto had stealthily took it out from the branches.

Soon after, Naruto noticed that the entire area was crawling with Grimm. They were searching for something; congregating in one area.

Naruto, without a doubt, could say he was scared shitless. Though frightened he was, he had to remain calm. It was a dire situation and he was surrounded by the creatures in a mile radius from his position.

Forty minutes into Naruto's little game of survival, he noticed that the Grimm started to roam in packs of two or three. Whether it was Beowolf, Ursa, Boarbatusk or Creep, they found the nearest companion and stuck with them in a squad.

Naruto recalled a lesson from Winter about Grimm. The monsters themselves were manifestations of destruction. They lacked a soul and their only aim was to destroy the humans and their creations.

The history session recounted that before the discovery of Dust, Grimm had beaten mankind at every turn. Some ancient cultures believed them to be animals possessed by evil spirits or the soul of a once tortured creature.

Something about that made Naruto feel that it was wrong.

In any case, there was one fact about Grimm that remained true no matter the situation.

Grimm were drawn to negative emotions.

Feelings of envy, anguish, rage, despair, loneliness and – most prominently – hatred attracted Grimm like bees to honey.

Naruto knew that, with such a gathering of Grimm, there must have been someone – maybe a group of people – with a powerful Aura nearby. To add to that, that person or persons must be emitting a plethora of emotions to have brought this many Grimm to this location.

 _Is it me?_

The heir narrowed his eyes as he thought about his options.

 _No, it can't be. If it were, the Grimm would already be tracking me down since I've killed a few of them._

Currently, Naruto was stationed on a high branch that overlooked a wide area of the forest. His light body easily made up for the fact he was wearing a bag as he climbed up the tree.

From his vantage point, he could vaguely make out the red glow or Grimm eyes and the white bone-like structures on the creatures' bodies.

The sun was almost completely set on Patch. This was not good.

Naruto weighed his options. Night and morning did not change the fact that Grimm would be in the area. The darkness of night was the real issue. If he could not see what he was fighting, he was as good as dead.

He could stay up here, but if he was found, nothing would stop him from falling to his death if an Ursa cut down his tree or a – Oum forbid – a Nevermore came from the sky and plucked him from his perch.

The biggest factor in play was that Naruto was scared. No, he had been scared in the beginning. Right now he was absolutely terrified.

For crying out loud, he was eleven! How did he get himself into this mess?

Naruto calmed his himself and forced his body to intake deep, slow breaths. Slowly, he hugged his knees to his body. Tears welled into his eyes.

From where he was, a few stories in the air, he could see more Beowolves come from the bushes and roam near his tree. He hoped they didn't notice him. If they sensed his fear it was all over for the white haired boy.

He sighed.

All he wanted to do was be recognized by his family.

 _Naruto Schnee, one of the greatest Huntsman of our time!_

Those were the headlines that were supposed to be read back home and around the world.

Not: _Young boy dies in Grimm infested forest._

He growled in frustration as tears streaked his dirty face. He was so confused. He felt scared and guilty. As well as something else.

He didn't know what it was. It was like a warmth deep inside of him. A small flame that kept the darkness away.

Whatever it was, he knew his fear would win out.

He opened his eyes as he stared down into the forest. Maybe his father was right.

Maybe he was never meant for the life of a Huntsman.

He was, after all, just a weak, spoiled city boy who ran away from home.

He smiled sadly. He wondered if anyone would ever know if he died out here.

Would his family know?

 _Winter…Weiss…_

In the silence below him – with only the whistle of the wind making his sound – a rustle hit his ears.

Naruto's blood drained from his face as he looked below him. Had a Beowolf found him?

Naruto wiped away his tears as he stared intently at the bush below him. He reached his nagamaki and crouched on his branch, prepared to strike if they came to him first.

From the moving bushes came…a girl?

A girl and a wagon he noted…with a sleeping girl inside.

What were they _doing here_?!

The girl pulling the red wagon was his age, he assumed. She looked to be his height and wore a brown colored dress with a beige-ish (it was too dark to tell) jacket over it. She looked cold. She wasn't wearing any pants, just shorts – he assumed – and boots with orange knee high socks.

Her hair was yellow – orange in the darkness surrounding them – with pale skin. Her hair was tied into two ponytails on either side of her face. Her eyes – what was up with his really good vision anyways – were lilac.

In any other situation, Naruto would have thought that she was…cute.

The girl in the wagon seemed only a few years younger than the blonde counterpart. She laid sideways sleeping soundly in the red trolley. She wore a dark brown dress over a frilly white shirt. Above this all she wore a red cape with a little red hood.

The girl's skin was pale like the blonde's. Her hair was noticeably different, though. It was a dark red and – near the tips – flared into a brighter color. He couldn't make out much else about either. They also seemed…lost?

The older girl was looking down at her hands. In them there was a photo of something. Naruto came to the conclusion she was trying to find the place depicted in the image.

Naruto relaxed his tense and bruised body as he studied the two. The girl below turned and Naruto saw that her eyes lit up as she saw something in the distance.

The boy in the tree observed as she stuffed the photo into her pocket. She placed two hands on the wagon's handle and pulled the younger girl along. If anything, Naruto saw that she looked determined.

But he saw something else. She was confused. And more than anything…

She was sad.

He could practically feel the despair rolling off of her. The blonde was just as oblivious as the sleeping girl to the danger around her.

Suddenly, Naruto's eyes snapped open.

The Grimm were hunting.

They were drawn to feelings of negativity.

They were searching for _her_.

The girl was young but he could also sense she had much potential as a Huntress. An Aura unlocked could still be felt if it was strong enough.

For a moment – just a moment – Naruto was conflicted.

Maybe the girl wouldn't get hurt? How could he help her if he couldn't help himself…

Then he saw it. Through the darkness he could make out the faint red flashes. Despite his eyes trying to tell him there was nothing there, Naruto knew better. His sister helped him study the mannerisms of Grimm in the past.

This was the way a Beowolf silently hunted.

But…there was about twenty of them.

Naruto gulped as he stood frozen in his spot. He stared into the distance and saw the two girls trek their way down a path to a wooden house.

He clenched his eyes so tightly he almost teared up. The girls were going to die.

He wouldn't let them.

Then he felt it. It was a feeling he was getting accustomed to in the past months. He never knew how to fight. He never received any formal training. Yet, in moments like these, his body just…it just…

 _MOVE!_

Naruto let his instincts pilot his form as he jumped from his high branch. From the air he could already see the Beowolves rush forward towards the girl. Like experts in their field, they made no noise.

Naruto did not either as he landed on his first victim and impaled it through his skull.

He wouldn't know why for a few more years, but he felt like he had a personal vendetta against the Grimm.

The other Beowolves paid their fallen comrade no heed as they continued their pursuit of the blonde.

It seemed the young girl noticed the company when Naruto her scream. His eyes snapped open as he took off in a sprint to catch up the creatures.

The Grimm, now that they were noticed, ceased their silence and growled. Their noises were terrifying as they howled and snarled while chasing the two children down the path.

The white haired fighter grit his teeth as he ran. Trying to move his fastest, Naruto flew forward while slicing to his left and right. Slowly, the number of Grimm in pursuit was lessened one at a time as Naruto sliced through the creatures' necks and backs.

He did not stop his pace as he left the dead Grimm to dissolve into blackness.

He panicked as he saw the cute girl, a few dozen yards from him, trip and fall to the ground. The girl started to cry as she was surrounded by the Beowolves.

No...

He couldn't let them die.

How could he live with himself if he failed the first two ever people he could possibly save?

How could he face his sisters if he let two girls die?!

Naruto clenched his eyes tighter as he pushed everything into his sprint.

 _Winter…Weiss_ …

He charged forward with a cry-

 _He extended his Chakra rod, one made with his Banbutsu S_ _ō_ _z_ _ō_ _, and impaled the blackened creature behind the jaw. He thrust the weapon through until the beast dissolved._

Continuing his charge, Naruto slammed his body into a Beowolf approaching the young girl. The adrenaline numbed the pain of the blunt attack and kept him from falling over.

 _He turned to see a young girl look up at him weakly. Her lavender-_

He lilac eyes stared back at him in shock as tears streaked down her face. He tried to give her his best smile, but winced in pain as his left hand clutched his right side. A wound he received from a Creep an hour before had started to take its toll on his body.

He grunted as he made an upward slash. The movement was fluid enough to cut off the arm of a pouncing Grimm even if he didn't have much strength in his tiny body.

The Grimm, he noticed, were bigger than him this time. He gulped when he realized they were adults and probably had years of experience behind them.

The bigger the Grimm; the longer it's lived; the stronger it was.

Naruto stepped back to dodge the other claw that came down from the handicapped wolf. He slashed horizontally-

 _The edge of the rod marred the creature's face. It howled in pain and snarled at the blonde man. Quickly and efficiently, the man rushed forward underneath the beast's assault and punched upwards. The blow crushed its windpipe and killed it._

Naruto didn't bother to watch as it dissolved. He took a stance in front of the two girls, his nagamaki up in defense horizontally in front of his person. He didn't turn to the blonde as he addressed them.

"Are you okay?"

"W-what?"

"I said _are you okay_?"

"Y-yes!"

"Good," he whispered, "can you run?"

"I-I t-think so."

"I know you're scared…I a-am too. It's okay, I'll get you out."

"How? T-there s-so m-m-any. You're h-hurt!"

"Don't worry about that," he winced as he spoke, "I'm going to clear a path for you."

The girl's face looked shocked as she stood up.

"When I tell you to run, you run. Got it?"

"What a-about y-you?"

"Don't worry about me."

Naruto's body tensed as he avoided another slash coming his direction-

 _He dodged to the right and brought his weapon down on the beast's head-_

Cracking its skull and killing it.

Naruto turned to his right and parried a swipe coming his way. He used the blade to block the next attack as he struggled against the Beowolf's strength.

He turned his eyes slightly and saw that behind this Grimm, there was only two blocking their way.

Good, taking these three out would clear a path for the girls.

Roaring once more, Naruto kicked forward and slammed his foot into the Beowolf's chest. It growled loudly and tried to slam its head down on the boy.

 _The warrior was fast to react as he aimed his weapon upwards and watched the dark creature pierce itself on the Chakra rod. He rolled and got up to his feet and wiped the dirt and spit from his face. He launched himself forward at another Grimm._

Staying close enough to the girls to protect them, Naruto made quick work of his next opponent. Suffering a cut along his shoulder from the Grimm's attack, Naruto ignored the pain as he jumped up and landed on the Beowolf's snout. The Grimm was stunned as Naruto slashed his blade through the beast's back three times.

The final hit was enough to dissolve the creature as he moved on to the final Grimm in his way. In his periphery, he saw ten more Beowolves approach from the woods.

Naruto grunted as he dodge two swipes to his upper body. Unrelenting in his assault, he let his body take over as he slid to the ground underneath the Grimm. As he did this, his weapon pointed upwards as it cut the Beowolf vertically through its belly.

Ignoring the flaring pain in his body, Naruto got up as the Grimm dissipated into nothing. He turned to the girls and-

 _Screaming at them, he rushed forward to cover their escape._

 _"_ _RUN!"_

The blonde girl did as commanded and, with a fierce tug, pulled herself and the wagon onto the safe path behind Naruto.

As they ran, the girl's eyes widened, before she stopped to turn at her young savior.

He was just a boy their age! How could she live him behind?

Naruto sensed her distress and turned to face her. His face was in a snarl and his hair was wild.

"What are you doing? Run!"

The girl wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Eventually, a scream tore through her as she watched Naruto get hit by a Beowolf.

She froze as she saw the blood fly from his chest as he landed on the floor. There were four long red streaks that tore through his jacket.

The girl cried harder. She knew that if, by some miracle, he didn't die: it would forever be her fault that he would have those scars.

Naruto screamed in agony as he crashed to the floor. His grip on his weapon stayed strong as he blindly flung the blade in front of him. In his luck, he caught the Grimm through its ribcage and he sensed the beast explode into nothing.

The boy weakly got up and yelled without turning to the girls.

"I said what are you doing? DON'T STAND THERE AND RUN!"

He heard the gravel underneath her feet and her crying as she fled the scene.

Naruto grinned as blood dripped from his lips. Turning his head up at the remaining two dozen or so Grimm, he gave them a victorious glare.

"Looks like I win, _bitches_! 'Ttebayo!"

He blinked.

Huh, where did that come from?

He had no time to ponder this as he avoided the charge of an angry Beowolf. It looks like they were mad they lost their prey.

 _The fighter smiled wickedly as he twirled his weapon in hand. He did a spin in place to dodge another attack and brought the rod down on the back of a creature's neck. He smirked as he did a back step. Switching feet, he kicked behind him with such force the beast's head flew up._

 _With the black creature dissolving, he knew he killed it by snapping its vertebrae. He jumped in the air to avoid two wolf-like creatures pounce on the space he just occupied. Landing a meter away from the two. He flew forward-_

He cleaved into both Grimm's sides with his weapon, killing them instantly.

Naruto dropped to his knee as his legs gave out from under him.

Why did he think he could jump that high? There was no way he had the strength to pull off that stunt but his body told him to do it.

Stupid tiny body.

He dropped to the floor in avoidance of a Beowolf that jumped over him. Had he not, his head would have come clean off.

He got up and twirled his blade while dodging two lunges on either side of him. He spun his weapon in a circle in front of him and cut into the sides of the two attackers. They looked stunned before they dissolved into the abyss.

Distracted by their disappearing act, Naruto never saw the fist of an Ursa come at him from behind the smog.

There was so much force behind the hit that he was launched from his position and through a multitude of branches. He cried out in pain as his body slammed into the trunk of a tree. Blood seeped from his temple and dyed his hair. He closed his right eye as the red liquid pooled into it, blinding him.

He never had time to recover as the offending Ursa, three times the size of the Beowolves, slammed him into the tree, cracking the bark.

His mouth gave off a silence scream. He was in so much _pain_. He was in literal agony as the furs of the Ursa's fist irritated the wounds on his chest.

He spewed blood and he could swear that the stupid Grimm enjoyed seeing him suffer.

He pulled himself from the bark and stumbled. It was enough to dodge the Ursa's swing at him. The fist of the bear Grimm slammed into the tree, causing it to implode and splinter.

Naruto moved deeper into the woods to reduce the amount of playing field they had.

There was that feeling of heat again. Whether the warmth came from his wounds or something else, he didn't know. That fire was the only thing keeping him alive.

Tears welled in his good eye and dropped to the dirt floor of the forest.

Everything…hurt so much…

 _Winter…Weiss…_

He…he was going to die here.

Naruto's eyes were shut as the pain wracked his body. He could feel nothing but the heat from earlier. For a moment, he felt himself roar, but did not hear a sound. He didn't even feel the air rush out of his lungs as he screamed.

He didn't feel it either the second time he was slammed into a tree.

He opened his eyes just in time to see his Nagamaki fly free from his grasp. The Ursa's other palm came slamming down on the weapon.

The blade split in two.

Naruto's good eye went wide as tears fell from his face and mixed with his blood.

 _Your gift…I'm so sorry…._

Then there was that feeling again, from before. It felt larger now…more powerful. It felt like a damn was ready to burst. Like his body would explode from the inside out. Like he could light a fire just from standing still.

 _No_.

Naruto Uzumaki was _not_ dying here!

"You..." His voice was cracked and weak. It was barely audible but he was sure the Grimm heard him. "You're…gonna..pay…for breaking…her gift…"

The creature roared in his face in defiance. He had enough with the white-haired boy's sentiments.

The Grimm charged towards him. A claw was raised to strike him down.

In his blurred vision, Naruto saw colored orbs come to life around him.

In that moment, the world exploded into fiery yellow.

There was a moment of clarity before he blacked out. In the distance...it felt so far, _far_ , away from him...He heard a beep. A familiar one. It was the same one whenever he received a message on his Scroll. A single thought passed through his mind as he prepared to face death.

 _Winter…_

 _I saved those two girls…_

 _Are you proud of me?_

Naruto's mind drifted into the abyss. He never saw the black and red cape that flew down in front of him.

* * *

A tall man sat at his desk, sipping his mug of coffee. As he shuffled through several files, he sat patiently as the soft ticking in the room filled the silence.

The renovations to his office were much welcomed even if he had to admit they were, maybe, a little over the top. That was saying something considering everything was Victorian and machinery themed – to match the clock tower's aesthetic, of course – even down to his very chair.

The large room was simple. A muted palette of monochrome, a large window overviewing his academy, pillars holding up the ceiling with files and shelves occupying the sides of the room and his desk in the center. However, the oddities came when one considered his desk and his…decorations.

His desk itself was glass but hollow. Inside laid an intricate assortment of gears that whirled and interconnected without purpose but felt…right.

Above him hung a variety of giant gears that were directly linked to the ceiling and interacted with the rest of the room. One could say they were meant to be a part of the building itself.

Ozpin sat there as he studied the files of the new generation of Huntsman and Huntresses that were entering his school that year. If nothing else, the Headmaster was a man of diligence and attentiveness. He noticed a few portfolios that stood out among the rest, but he couldn't outright say there was a hero in any of one of them. Not yet at least.

He saw much potential intertwined in the ink of the paper. He saw futures and prosperity (and sadly demises as well) that was laid in store for the young trainees. Yet again, all it seemed to be was potential. Potential futures. Possible ends. It was a sobering thought, but alas was the life of a Hunter.

He didn't fret on it. It would be no use for his mind to aimlessly wander when he had yet to see the children in action with his own bespectacled eyes. They were children. Yes, they were warriors in training but for now they had an innocence that he could not bring himself to take away so soon.

They would overcome many obstacles…but…he couldn't help but wonder when a generation of true gems – diamonds in the rough – would appear at his academy's doorstep.

He had been in this business for a long time. There had been celebrities that graduated from his institution, but it has been long overdue for Beacon to see another legend.

Maybe a generation of heroes, perhaps?

Caught up in his thoughts, the Professor was taken back into reality as he heard the mechanism above him act weirdly. The ceiling furniture moved accordingly to its design. He remembered it was made so that nothing short of the clock tower collapsing would make the machine stop.

Yet, for a second, it stalled. There was no movement in the room for just a finite second. The gears did not proceed. The room stayed silent – eerily so. Even the gears and spurs that worked in his desk had stopped.

The second felt long. For a moment, it felt like heaven was silent. As if something bad had happened and the angels mourned.

Suddenly, as fast as the machine had stopped, it whirled back to life. It was like nothing had happened in the first place. In fact, it felt like the machine worked better than ever. Its movements were crisp and precise. Every tic did not go without its toc. Every glide of a gear wound successfully to push its brethren forward. It worked better than ever.

This was a machine designed never to stop…but it did. Now it ticked with more life than it had before. It felt like the wheels of change had been set in motion. It was a drastic change. A good change.

Ozpin couldn't help but feel like the world – in that short, powerful second – had answered to something. No, more like answered back.

 _Strange_ , he thought. Then he smiled.

He used to say that one man's 'strange' was his 'interesting'. He leaned back into his chair and took a sip from his ivory mug.

He realized that could have been an omen; maybe it was a sudden change to the current that was the world of Remnant. Maybe he'd get what he had hoped for sooner than he thought.

In any case, as he looked upon the files and pictures before him, he wondered if there would be someone out there who would leave their mark on this world.

* * *

 ** _And scene!_**

 ** _I know it's late, but here's another completed chapter. Thank you everyone for your interest in the fic!_**

 ** _I'm not sure if this is the length I wanted, but I wanted to add more about Naruto's history. He's grown up neglected but not without love._**

 ** _I really hope that you guys might like where I'm taking Qrow and Ozpin's roles. Qrow is like Jaraiya, someone who may not always be there, but when he is, he knows what to say, when to say it, and what actions to do with it. He's the guy who will show Naruto just how to throw his worries out the window and see what life offers._**

 ** _Taiyang, in my hopes, will be the father figure that Naruto never had growing up._**

 ** _Ozpin, hoping I can portray his character clearly (because unlike the other two we actually have seen Ozpin) because I want him to be Naruto's Hiruzen. Ozpin may not be old, but he's experienced. He has a wisdom about himself that transcends his age. That wisdom is what makes me want to place him as Naruto's mentor. You'll see how it plays out._**

 ** _Just to clarify a few things:_**

 ** _Yes,_** _that was a hint of him using his Semblance, but for now it was just him unlocking his aura._

 ** _Second,_** _I messed up! Naruto is ten in the beginning of the story, but I messed up a line saying his birthday the next month over would make him nine. I fixed it though!_

 ** _Next,_** _a question asked is how often I update. Honestly, I don't know. I'll try to update at least once a week, but it depends on reviews mostly. I'm not the type of person to say "70 reviews until the next update" but at the same time, I'm writing for those who want to read it. The more I'm shown people want more, the more frequent the update._

 ** _On another note,_** _a few had been wondering if I would give Naruto Chakra or bring him to post-Fourth War strength. Sadly, I don't believe I will do that. The reason why the canon would start chapter 8 or so is to give time for Naruto to collect his memories of the past. How could this mold the future? Even I wouldn't know._

 _I'm trying to stay away from a God-like Naruto or a "Chakra beats everything!" type of story. I want him to grow but I also don't want too many trump cards and deus ex machinas._ _He's a character that is meant to have dynamic will the will to protect all he loves by any means necessary; not whatever Kishimoto made him out to be._

 _As well, as a few have pointed out, I'm in the agreement that Semblances are meant to be simple, not outrageous and able to do a plethora of things. His Semblance will be introduced in two chapters, and it's going to be one not done in RWBY fan-fictions yet, but at the same time it is simple and pretty lack-luster to some of you who want some crazy Semblance that can do everything._

 ** _Also,_** _I hope people are taking note of the parallelism and foreshadowing I've been trying to put into the story._

 ** _And no,_** _there will not be lemons in the fic. There will be adult themes and very explicit mentions of sexual acts, but no straight up lemons. I've never wrote one and I'm not really willing to try._

 ** _To end things off,_** _I changed my mind, so I propose a review poll for the decision of the Naruto pairing! I realize that there are many who are wary about the Harem (I'll admit, I am too) so I want your feedback. I've gotten PMs and Reviews saying some wanted Harems or some just wanted one or two girls._

 _Not the actual pairings yet, mind you, but just to decide whether you want to see Naruto with 2 people or with a Harem._

 ** _Please vote_** _for any of these and I WILL consider some options over others if I'm given a good explanation and feel free to add who you want to see! There are a thousand or so of you who read the story so I hope you vote for what you want to see in the future._

 _A normal review will count as 1 point. A well thought out one as 2._

 _Naruto x 2_

 _Naruto x 3_

 _Naruto x 4_

 _Naruto x 5_

 _2 being the minimum; 5 being the maximum amount of girls in the Harem. This could also change depending on the story. I want it to be organic and flexible as possible. RWBY is only beginning its 3_ _rd_ _Volume – many things could change along the way. The minimum is 2 because I have a plan._ _Voting will end when Naruto makes his way to the canon._

 _I want all of you to still have the ability to vote only_ after _you've seen his interactions with the RWBY cast!_

 ** _Most importantly_** _I want all of your thoughts on whether you want to see the typical pairings like Yang, Blake, Weiss and Pyrrha or go outside the box and pick up ones like Coco or Nora. I love Yang and Pyrrha pairings, but I want to be pretty original too and I feel there are enough authors who do it justice already._

 _The reason why I don't want to start a poll yet is because I want you all to see the potential in every character without having to AGREE immediately based on what I give you. I'm not just going to say "oh here this character automatically falls in love with Naruto"._

 ** _I'd also like to point out_** _that Winter's involvement in Naruto's love life is not affected by the decision of the pairings nor the Harem. She will be important to Naruto's development no matter the outcome. There is a certain scene that will happen no matter what and I'm wondering whether or not you all think the ship will float._

 ** _And just to warn you all,_** _I am VERY biased to Yang, Pyrrha and Coco for Naruto pairings and Ruby is off the table (I don't see her a romantic interest for Naruto, just a sibling type of deal – at least for this story). And personally? Just character wise, Nora and Coco are my current favorite RWBY characters._

 _Whoever doesn't make it in the pairings in this fic will then be chosen for another fic I'm making._

 ** _Kindly leave a review and have a nice day!_**

 _(Updated 8/31/15): 16981 words; 25797 words total. This only reflects the story itself.)_


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